Journal of the Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand  2012;17(4):200-205

doi:10.12790/jkssh.2012.17.4.200

Triceps Tendon Avulsion with a Bony Flake from the Olecranon: Three Cases Report.

Dae Hee LEE 1 ; Sang Bum KIM ; Youn Moo HEO ; Jin Woong YI ; Hyo Jong NAM

Affiliations

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Keywords

Triceps tendon; Olecranon; Avulsion injury

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Triceps tendon avulsion from the olecranon is a rare injury. Missed or delayed diagnosis may result in a weakness of strength or a decreased range of motion of the elbow. This injury is usually caused by a fall on the outstretched hand or a direct blow to the posterior arm. In addition, the rupture of the triceps tendon is implicated by a sudden eccentric contraction of the triceps muscle. To determine whether the rupture is complete or incomplete is critical to guide the treatment method. A small avulsed fragment from the olecranon may be detected on lateral radiographs of the elbow. We report three cases of the triceps tendon avulsion with a bony flake from the olecranon, which were surgically treated, along with a brief review of the literature.