[Floating elbows: anatomo-clinical aspect and review of treatment method]

Floating elbows are rare pathologies that cause a number of problems to manage. The current treatment tendency is surgical. The orthopedic treatment is a good management option when the technical plateau is limited.

We performed an 18-month prospective study that included patients with floating elbows. Two treatment methods were used and chosen following predefined indication criteria. The final evaluation was made on average 10 months (minimum 6 and maximum 18 months) according to the functional classification of the mayo clinic.

In 18 months, we treated 8 patients with floating elbow, who were all victims of traffic accidents. On an anatomo-clinical level, real floating elbows accounted for 37.5% of all cases, the rest were derived pathologies. Among these derived pathologies, the association of diaphyseal fracture of the humerus with a lesion of one or both forearm bones represented 50% of the cases. Regarding skin condition, open fractures were present in 37.5% of all patients. At the final evaluation we obtained two unsatisfactory results in patient treated surgically. No orthopedic treatment achieved an excellent final result, but they ranged between good and fair.

This study shows that the orthopedic treatment maintains its position as valid treatment for floating elbows. Nevertheless it is important to master the technique and recognize its limits.