A Monteggia fracture is best described as which combination of injuries?

A Monteggia fracture is best described as which combination of injuries?

• A. Fracture of the proximal ulna with dislocation of the radial head
• B. Fracture of the distal radius with dislocation of the DRUJ
• C. Fracture of the scaphoid with lunate dislocation
• D. Fracture of the humerus with radial nerve injury

Answer: (A)

A Monteggia fracture is a fracture of the proximal ulna with dislocation of the radial head at the elbow. This combination—ulnar break near the elbow with the radial head displaced from its articulation with the capitellum—defines the injury. The radial head dislocation is the key feature that distinguishes this from other forearm or elbow injuries, and it explains the impaired forearm rotation and elbow pain you’d see clinically. Imaging typically shows a proximal ulna fracture with the radial head visibly out of place. This pattern differs from other injuries like a distal radius fracture with distal radioulnar joint dislocation (which involves the wrist/forearm junction rather than the elbow), a scaphoid fracture with lunate dislocation (involving carpal bones), or a humeral shaft fracture with radial nerve injury (a fracture higher up the arm with a nerve palsy).

A Monteggia fracture is a fracture of the proximal ulna with dislocation of the radial head at the elbow. This combination—ulnar break near the elbow with the radial head displaced from its articulation with the capitellum—defines the injury. The radial head dislocation is the key feature that distinguishes this from other forearm or elbow injuries, and it explains the impaired forearm rotation and elbow pain you’d see clinically. Imaging typically shows a proximal ulna fracture with the radial head visibly out of place.

This pattern differs from other injuries like a distal radius fracture with distal radioulnar joint dislocation (which involves the wrist/forearm junction rather than the elbow), a scaphoid fracture with lunate dislocation (involving carpal bones), or a humeral shaft fracture with radial nerve injury (a fracture higher up the arm with a nerve palsy).