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Supracondylar fracture

Case contributed by Amanda Er
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Left elbow swelling post fall, unable to fully extend elbow.

Patient Data

Age: 6 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

There is a displaced supracondylar fracture of the left distal humerus, with raised anterior and posterior fat pad seen.

Case Discussion

In this case, the frontal elbow image was obtained by using a horizontal beam AP view as the patient was unable to supinate their arm for the standard AP elbow image. It is important to ensure that the patient is still encouraged to extend their arm as much as possible to ensure visualization of an opened elbow joint space.

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