Injuries of the lateral humeral condyle in children

Thirty-seven children were admitted to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, between 1972 and 1985 with a fracture of the lateral condyle of the humerus. Twenty-four patients were reviewed between 2 and 15 years after injury. Early restriction of extension improved with time. Four patients had 2-7 degrees cubitus varus and one had exaggerated valgus. Functional results were good, but two patients exhibited crepitus or stiffness. The results of Kirschner wire fixation in this series were no better than those of soft tissue suture or of undisplaced fractures treated conservatively in a collar and cuff.