Surgical approach to posterior dislocation of the elbow combined with radial head and coronoid fractures (terrible triad): report of 19 cases

Terrible triad injury of the elbow has been a real challenge for surgeons. New standard methods of treatment have significantly improved outcomes, but yet complications occur frequently and rate of reoperation is still noticeable. The outcomes of lateral surgical approach in 19 patients with terrible triad injury were evaluated through Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score. A concentric congruency was achieved for 18 cases. The average of MEPS was 87.1112.05. There-fore, 17 patients had excellent and good and two fair and poor results. Average of DASH score was 1713.83. Due to early postoperative dislocation joint stiffness occurred in one patient. In our experience, lateral approach provides an adequate view to access and reconstruct all stabi-lizing elements and could be considered as an acceptable option in terrible triad injury treatment.