Loading...
Among patients with elbow injuries who undergo radiography, most do not have elbow fractures. In this multicenter prospective U.K. study that involved more than 1700 adults and children with acute elbow injuries, investigators determined whether the elbow-extension test (normal: ability to extend elbows fully and equally while the arms are supinated and the shoulders are flexed at 90 degrees) can be used to rule out elbow fracture.
Overall, about one third of patients with acute elbow injuries had fractures. Among adults, only 5 of 311 (1.6%) who could fully extend their injured elbows had fractures (negative predictive value [NPV], 98.4%), and only 2 required operative repair (both had olecranon fractures). In contrast, 48% of adults who co…