Neonatal fracture-separation of the distal humeral chondroepiphysis: a case report

A recent experience with a most unusual case of birth injury at Akron Children's Hospital Medical Center has prompted this report in an effort to emphasize the rarity of the lesion, the difficulty in both roentgenographic and clinical scrutiny, the mechanics of the injury, and the unusual direction of displacement. Injury to an unossified epiphysis always demands a high index of suspicion; we stress this fact in our report. In this case marked instability at the separation site necessitated open reduction, although closed reduction and immobilization generally have been successful in other reported cases. The authors present a hypothesis about the mechanism of the injury within the birth canal.