Radial nerve safety in Dorgan's lateral cross-pinning of the supracondylar humeral fracture in children: a case report and cadaveric study.

Abstract

We encountered an iatrogenic radial nerve injury following Dorgan's lateral cross-pinning in a 5-year-old girl with a supracondylar fracture of the humerus. This prompted a cadaveric study to define a safe entry point for the proximal lateral Kirschner -wire. A child's cadaveric humerus was pinned laterally in three coronal planes, simulating the proximal entry pin. The radial nerve lay farthest from the wire in the posterolateral plane, 1 and 2 cm proximal to the lateral epicondyle. We report the first incidence of radial nerve injury with lateral cross-pinning and suggest that the wire should be placed posterolaterally within 2 cm from the lateral epicondyle.