A Type III Monteggia Injury with Ipsilateral Fracture of the Distal Radius and Ulna in a Child: Case Report Followed for 21 Years

Floating Forearm Injury: Monteggia Variant Fracture With an Ipsilateral Distal Radius and Ulna Fracture

Monteggia variant fracture is a Monteggia fracture (proximal third ulna fracture with radial head dislocation) with an associated radial head fracture, coronoid fracture or complex pattern of injury. We report a rare case of an 80-year-old lady with a right Monteggia variant fracture with an ipsilateral distal radius and ulna fracture leading to a floating forearm injury. To our knowledge, this is the first case report to describe this injury pattern. We describe the multidisciplinary team approach and detailed surgical technique in managing this rare and complex injury.

Simultaneous ipsilateral Monteggia fracture-dislocation and distal radius fracture: A report of a pediatric case and review of the literature

We present the case of a 12-year- old boy who suffered from a combination of Monteggia fracture-dislocation along with ipsilateral distal radius fracture. The patient underwent closed reduction of the Monteggia lesion and the distal radius followed by percutaneous pinning. The postoperative course was satisfactory. Associated Monteggia fracture-dislocation and ipsilateral distal forearm fracture are rare. Our case and the literature review highlight the presence of common clinical features in pediatric patients with these particular injuries, including male dominance, age around 9 years, fall from a height, and lateral displacement of the dislocated radial head.

Monteggia Fracture-Dislocation with Associated TFCC Injury and DRUJ Subluxation - A Very Rare Case Report

Introduction

Monteggia fracture-dislocation is defined as a proximal third ulna fracture with radiocapitellar joint dislocation. The term "Monteggia equivalent or variant" describes various injuries with similar radiographic patterns and injury biomechanics. Several isolated cases of unusual injuries associated with Monteggia fractures have been reported. However, an associated TFCC injury has not been described in the literature before. We present a rare report of a 24-year-old female with a Monteggia fracture and associated TFCC injury - a crisscross type of injury.

Case Report

A 24-year-old female was involved in a road traffic accident and presented to our level I trauma center with pain and deformity in the left forearm. On evaluation, she was found to have type I Monteggia fracture-dislocation. Intraoperatively, once the proximal ulna was fixed, she had clicking in the wrist during rotations. Fluoroscopic images showed DRUJ subluxation, but it was stable in supination. Hence was splinted in a reduced position. The patient continued to have persistent symptoms in the wrist despite adequate conservative measures. Hence, she underwent arthroscopic TFCC repair and DRUJ pinning. At her last follow-up (3 months), the patient was clinically better with a good range of motion and no pain.

Conclusion

In treating Monteggia fracture-dislocations, high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose radioulnar joint instability. If they are missed, they can result in long-term disability, so appropriate evaluation to diagnose TFCC and DRUJ injuries is required. DRUJ stabilization and TFCC repair can produce consistent results when treated adequately.

Type III Monteggia Injury With Ipsilateral Distal Forearm Fracture in a Child: A Case Report

Monteggia fracture refers to breakage of the upper third of the ulna combined with dislocation of the radial head. It often occurs in children and adolescents and represents a combined injury. Fracture of the distal forearm is among the most common trauma suffered by children. However, distal forearm fractures have rarely been reported as having an association with Monteggia fractures. We report on a 9-year-old boy diagnosed with a type III Monteggia fracture combined with a distal forearm fracture. He underwent surgery and received rehabilitation training 1 month later. He was followed-up for 1 year. The affected limb functioned well with no sign of radial head dislocation.