Conjoined fracture-dislocation of the forearm at the elbow

Conjoined fracture-dislocation of the elbow were first described by Marotte in 1982. In this study, a total of 41 patients treated between 1975 and 1995 at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute and 4 patients treated between 1997 and 2000 at the Division of Orthopaedics at the Maggiore Hospital are evaluated. Based on the Marotte classification, the patients are divided into 4 groups, by site of dislocation of the radial capitellum and amount of comminution of the fracture of the ulna. A clinical and radiographic evaluation was made after a mean follow-up of 5.3 years based on Anderson criteria. The results obtained were excellent in 17 patients (37.8%) satisfactory in 13 (28.9%), dissatisfactory in 12 (26.7%); 3 patients were considered to be failures (6.7%), the best results were obtained in type I anterior dislocations.