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Elbow fracture showdown: surgery vs. casting in kids

NCT ID NCT05131672

Disease control Sponsor: Joseph Janicki Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 01, 2026 · Last updated Jul 02, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial compares two treatments for a specific elbow fracture in children aged 7 to 17: surgery to fix the broken bone with pins or screws, or simply wearing a cast. The goal is to see which approach leads to better arm function and less pain. Children with a fresh medial epicondyle fracture (within 10 days) can join, and their families choose or are randomly assigned to one of the two treatments.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) or cast immobilization
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that casting is as effective as surgery for these fractures, sparing children from an operation.
What could go wrong
This is a single trial with 334 participants, and results may not apply to all fracture types or ages. Surgery carries infection and nerve injury risks; casting may lead to slower healing or misalignment.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 334 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2022

Expected to finish

Jul 2031

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

7 to 17 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form by parent or legal guardian and signed assent form if participant is older than 12 years. 2. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study 3. Male or female, aged 7-17 years inclusive 4. Diagnosis of medial epicondyle fracture with any amount of displacement 5. Fracture is acute (occurred within 10 days of assignment of treatment arm) 6. Ability to take oral medication and be willing to adhere to the immobilization regimen Exclusion Criteria: 1. Medial epicondyle fragment that is incarcerated within joint 2. Presence of other fractures about the ipsilateral elbow 3. Presence of pathologic fracture, open fracture 4. Have metabolic or neuromuscular diagnosis 5. Patient and parents are unable to adhere to procedures or complete follow-up due to insufficient comprehension of consent form or surveys or developmental delay.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Elbow Fractures

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Fracture elbow

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Lurie Children's Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States

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