We present a method for the reducing a displaced radial head in children, by rotating the forearm while pressing over the displaced fragment. This has been successful in a series of 10 cases

1. Three cases of anterior dislocation of the head of the radius associated with an undisplaced fracture of the olecranon are described. 2. A combination of pronation of the forearm and hyperextension of the elbow is suggested as a possible mechanism

Two cases of an unusual injury to the proximal end of the radius in children are reported illustrating a pitfall of closed manipulation. A review of the literature suggests that this injury is comparatively rare and is likely to be followed by permanent restriction of rotation of the forearm

The surgical approaches used to expose fractures of both bones of the forearm vary depending on the site and type of fracture and the degree of comminution; all have limitations. An exposure is described which allows access to most of the radius and ulna through a single skin incision

A case of bilateral congenital pseudarthrosis of the olecranon is described. The clinical features, radiological appearance and prognosis are distinct from the type of congenital pseudarthrosis of the forearm reported previously. The lesion appeared to be a localised failure of ossification within the proximal ulnar metaphysis. Excision, stabilisation and bone grafting led to rapid fusion

We describe a patient who sustained a displaced isolated intra-articular fracture of the distal ulna, causing limitation of rotation of the forearm. The extent of displacement of the fracture which was not evident on plain radiographs was revealed by CT. The fracture was reduced and internally fixed using a standard technique applicable to the fixation of fractures of the radial head. Full movement was restored. An isolated injury to the distal ulna is rare and requires careful clinical and radiological assessment

A 10-year-old boy who sustained a fracture through a cyst in the ulna later developed a pseudarthrosis. During 13 years' follow-up the characteristic short bowed forearm developed but, instead of the more usual spontaneous dislocation of the head of the radius, the patient also developed the previously unreported complication of osteoarthritis of the elbow

1. A case of Volkmann's ischaemic contracture, in which function was greatly improved by a muscle slide operation, is described. 2. The possibility of regeneration of muscle after ischaemia is reviewed in the light of recent research. 3. Injection experiments suggest that the forearm flexors, like the gastroenemius,are supplied by end arteries

Three cases of anterior interosseous nerve palsy were diagnosed after internal fixation of fractures of the proximal radius. The suggestion that the nerve was injured at operation by bone-holding forceps was supported by operations on 12 cadaver forearms, in which the nerve was frequently trapped. Care should be taken to place such forceps in a subperiosteal plane

Aims

The Wrightington classification system of fracture-dislocations of the elbow divides these injuries into six subtypes depending on the involvement of the coronoid and the radial head. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and reproducibility of this classification system.

We report a case of post-traumatic compartment syndrome of the biceps-brachialis compartment after a minor injury. The condition is well recognised after a drug overdose, but surgeons should be aware that a compartment syndrome may also be caused by apparently trivial trauma, and that it may develop in regions other than the anterior compartments of the leg and forearm

1. A case of posterior interosseous nerve palsy from compression in the supinator muscle by what appeared to be a simple ganglion is described. 2. Surgical decompression led to an effective cure. 3. The course of the nerve through this muscle invites compression. 4. Rotation of the forearm, especially with super-added deformity of the limb, may increase the compresssion

Nine children with chronic post-traumatic dislocation of the head of the radius were treated by an osteotomy of the ulna with over-correction of the angular deformity and with elongation of the bone. Satisfactory results were obtained in eight cases, the only poor outcome following a three-year delay between the initial injury and the reposition. The interosseous membrane of the forearm appeared to be the most important structure in maintaining the corrected position of the radial head

A 16-year-old boy was involved in an agricultural accident in which he sustained a large wound to the right arm and forearm. Radiological examination showed loss of the distal half of the humerus. A posterior splint was applied and after two months there was regeneration of the distal humerus including the articular portion. He was able to use his arm at five months. Twenty years later, he had a painless elbow and a 70° range of movement

Joint laxity was quantified by measuring the distance from the thumb tip to the forearm during passive apposition in 500 normal Southern Chinese women. Joint laxity was found to have a normal distribution throughout the population and to decrease with age. When 109 Chinese girls with idiopathic adolescent scoliosis were similarly tested they were found to have significantly more laxity, suggesting that the two conditions are associated

Debate continues about the origin of Dupuytren’s disease, which is usually in the palm but is seen elsewhere as ectopic lesions. We describe a young patient with Dupuytren’s disease extending proximal to the wrist crease in continuity with the palmar lesion. Our findings support the view that the condition starts within the palmar connective tissue, but there is no palmar aponeurosis in the forearm and the proximal extension probably started in the deep layer of the superficial fascia

Immobilisation of the thumb is widely believed to be important in the management of fractures of the carpal scaphoid. To assess the need for this, we randomly allocated 392 fresh fractures for treatment by either a forearm gauntlet (Colles') cast, leaving the thumb free, or by a conventional 'scaphoid' plaster incorporating the thumb as far as its interphalangeal joint. In the 292 fractures which were followed for six months, the incidence of nonunion was independent of the type of cast used

Four patients who had injured the lower end of the humerus in childhood with resulting cubitus varus developed recurrent posterior dislocation of the head of the radius after further injury to the elbow. Dislocation occurred when the forearm was supinated and spontaneous reduction took place on pronation. At operation the lateral ligament complex was seen to be lax and elongated. After tightening of the ligament and with a supracondylar osteotomy of the humerus to correct the cubitus varus the recurrent dislocation was eliminated