Incidence and Management of Articular Impaction in Geriatric Olecranon Fractures

Introduction: Olecranon fractures are common in the elderly. Articular impaction is encountered occasionally, but the incidence and outcomes after treatment of this injury pattern have not been well characterized. Methods: We evaluated a cohort of geriatric olecranon fractures to determine the incidence of articular impaction and describe a technique for open reduction and internal fixation. Results: Of the 63 patients in our series, 31 had associated intraarticular impaction (49.2%). Patients with articular impaction did not have significantly different rates of postoperative complications (11/31, 35.5% versus 10/31, 32.3%; P = 1.00) or revision surgery (10/31, 32.3% versus 8/31, 25.8%; P = 0.780) compared with those without articular impaction. Conclusion: Articular impaction is a common feature of geriatric olecranon fractures. Surgeons must maintain a high index of suspicion and have a surgical plan in place for managing this component of the injury.

Automated summary

Articular impaction is common in geriatric olecranon fractures, occurring in nearly half of the patients studied. Despite this, patients with articular impaction did not show significantly different rates of postoperative complications or revision surgery compared to those without articular impaction. Surgeons should be aware of this common feature and have a surgical plan ready to manage it effectively.