A proximal ulna fracture with dislocation of the radial head at the elbow is diagnosed as which injury?

A proximal ulna fracture with dislocation of the radial head at the elbow is diagnosed as which injury?

• A. Monteggia fracture
• B. Essex-Lopresti injury
• C. Galeazzi fracture
• D. Colles fracture

Answer: (A)

When a fracture involves the proximal ulna with the radial head displaced at the elbow, the pattern is Monteggia fracture. This injury reflects disruption at the proximal radioulnar joint where the ulna breaks and the radial head is dislocated, usually anteriorly. It’s distinct from Essex-Lopresti, which is a distal forearm injury with interosseous membrane disruption and distal radioulnar joint injury, and from Galeazzi, which is a distal radius fracture with distal radioulnar joint dislocation, or from Colles, which is a distal radius fracture with the characteristic dinner-plate deformity. So the combination of proximal ulna fracture and radial head dislocation at the elbow is characteristic of a Monteggia fracture.

When a fracture involves the proximal ulna with the radial head displaced at the elbow, the pattern is Monteggia fracture. This injury reflects disruption at the proximal radioulnar joint where the ulna breaks and the radial head is dislocated, usually anteriorly. It’s distinct from Essex-Lopresti, which is a distal forearm injury with interosseous membrane disruption and distal radioulnar joint injury, and from Galeazzi, which is a distal radius fracture with distal radioulnar joint dislocation, or from Colles, which is a distal radius fracture with the characteristic dinner-plate deformity. So the combination of proximal ulna fracture and radial head dislocation at the elbow is characteristic of a Monteggia fracture.