Radial head fractures: effectiveness of conservative treatment versus surgical intervention : A systematic review.

摘要

INTRODUCTION: Radial head fractures are common elbow fractures. The Mason classification is used to describe the fracture. As of yet, there is no consensus on optimal treatment strategy for Mason II-IV fractures. The aim of this study was to compare the results of conservative treatment with different surgical strategies for radial head fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic databases from 1966 to 2004 were screened. Based on our inclusion criteria, 24 studies, describing 825 patients, were included. RESULTS: For Mason type II fractures, residual pain was present in 42 of the conservatively treated of the patients compared to 32 of the surgically treated patients. Good/excellent results for Broberg score were 52 and 88, respectively. For Mason type III and IV fractures, no conservatively treated patients were described. CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to be able to draw definitive conclusions on optimal treatment of type II-IV radial head fractures. Evidence is currently limited toa maximum level II evidence. There is great need for sufficiently powered randomized controlled trials.