OBJECTIVETo discuss the treatment methods of humeral supracondylar fracture in children with neurovascular complications.

METHODSNinety-six children (59 males, 37 females) with humeral supracondylar fractures were treated by surgery from February 2002 to November 2007, with the mean age of 6.4 years old (ranged from 4 to 16 years). Seventeen symptoms of nerve damage occurred in 16 cases, including radial nerve injury in 5 cases,median nerve injury in 7 cases,of which 1 cases with ulnar nerve injury, ulnar nerve injury in 5 cases; 13 patients had symptoms of vascular injury such as pulse weakness and hands coldness. The patients accompanied by nerve, blood vessel injury symptoms were all treated with open reduction and internal fixation.

RESULTSEighty-five patients were followed up with an average duration of 11 months(ranged from 6 to 18 months). Seventy-three patients had incision healing at the first stage and other 12 patients had incision healing at the second stage. All the 85 patients had no complications such as incision infection and functional disturbance of elbow joint. Among 5 patients with radial nerve injury, 3 patients had symptoms disappeared completely at 3 months after operation; one patient underwent exploration lysis at 3 months after operation and the symptoms disappeared at 5 months after operation; another 1 patient with iatrogenic injury of radial nerve had nerve function recovered at 3 months after releasing plaster compression. Among 7 patients with median nerve injury, 6 patients had nerve function recovered completely at 6 months after operation; another 1 patient combined with ulnar nerve injuries had nerve function recovered at 9 months after exploring of nerve at the second stage. Five patients with ulnar nerve injury had nerve function recovered completely at 6 months after operation. Preoperative symptoms of radial artery pulse weakness and cold hand in 13 patients disappeared after fracture reduction.

CONCLUSIONThe ulnar nerve should be explored during the operation at the first stage of supracondylar fracture. Wether the median nerve, radial nerve and blood vessel be explored or not should be decided by preoperative examination results. The preoperative EMG and Doppler ultrasound examination is not a routine examination before surgery.