Management of distal humerus fractures in adults

From January 1992 to May 1997, 46 distal humeral fractures were treated by open reduction and internal fixation. Among these, 30 were intra-articular, which were managed by the transolecranal approach, routine ulnar nerve transposition, 3.5-mm dual-plate fixation and early active mobilisation. We encountered 2% non-union, 2.2% fixation failure, 11.1% nerve complications, 28.2% overall heterotopic ossification and 11.1% poor range-of-motion rates.