Headless compression cannulated screw combined with radial head replacement for terrible triad of the elbow: a case report and literature review

Abstract

According to domestic and foreign literature reports, terrible triad of the elbow is a complex injury of multiple fractures and dislocations of the elbow caused by high-energy impact. In the early 1990s, the treatment of terrible triad of the elbow was mostly conservative. It was often difficult to maintain the stability of the elbow, and there was a risk of re-dislocation, and the prognosis was often not satisfactory. At present, the "terrible triad" of the elbow is almost all treated with active surgery, and with the improvement of surgical techniques and the standardization and stylized treatment, the excellent and good prognosis rate is gradually increasing. However, there are still many patients with poor functional recovery of the elbow after operation. The author successfully treated a patient with terrible triad of the elbow by using headless compression cannulator screw combined with artificial radial head replacement in 2024, and achieved very satisfactory results.