[Post-traumatic anterior interosseous nerve syndrome after supracondylar humerus fracture in a child]

The interosseus anterior syndrome is a rare nerve compression syndrome that concerns only the motor branch of the median nerve. It is evidenced by paralysis of the M. flexor pollicis longus and M. flexor digitorum profundus II with weakness of flexion of the terminal joint of the thumb and index finger but without sensory loss. From the surgical point of view this complication has special importance because of pediatric fractures of the distal humerus. In this paper we discuss the differential diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of this nerve injury by presenting an illustrative case of a 7-year-old boy suffering a supracondylar fracture of the humerus with a post-traumatic anterior interosseus nerve syndrome.