Volume: 13 Issue: 2
Year: 2025, Page: 134-136, Doi: https://doi.org/10.47799/pimr.1302.25.46
Received: July 21, 2025 Accepted: Aug. 21, 2025 Published: Sept. 11, 2025
Kirschner wires (K-wires) are widely used in orthopaedic surgery as they are readily available, reliable, and cost-effective. Kirschner wires (K-wires) are used for old unreduced elbow dislocations, inserted through the olecranon and into the humerus, if the joint re-dislocates easily. K-wire breakage during removal is rare. 11 yrs male having 4 month old unreduced elbow dislocation was treated with open reduction and ulnohumeral K wire & above elbow slab was applied. After 2 weeks K-wire broke during removal in outpatient department with the proximal piece completely retained in distal humerus intraarticularly. Elbow flexion & extension was restricted. The Broken K wire was removed in operation theatre with patient under anaesthesia. In our case, there was no obvious cause of breakage, and the patient denied postoperative trauma. K-wire fixation is a simple method for bony stabilisation but can be a demanding procedure with complications often overlooked. It is important to be aware of the potential sequelae.
Keywords: K wire, Broken K wire, Intraarticular, Neglected elbow dislocation, Cannulated drilling technique
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©2025 (Bhajipale) et al. This is an open-access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited.
Bhajipale SR, Mothilal J, Nandurkar S. Broken Kirschner Wire Elbow- Removed Successfully by Cannulated Drilling Technique. Perspectives in Medical Research. 2025;13(2):134-136 DOI: 10.47799/pimr.1302.25.46