Distal humeral epiphyseal separation

Distal humeral epiphyseal separation is a rare orthopedic condition of the newborn (incidence 1:35'000) that requires immediate surgical correction. Untreated, the condition can lead to elbow cubitus varus deformity or dysfunction (1, 2). Diagnosis is challenging as the condition can be easily overlooked or misinterpreted as a brachial plexus palsy or an elbow dislocation. We present the case of a newborn patient whom we treated in multidisciplinary collaboration with our colleagues at the Department of Pediatric Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery and Radiology at the University Children’s Hospital of Zurich.