SOFIE: Surgery for Olecranon Fractures In the Elderly: a randomised controlled trial of operative versus non-operative treatment.

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BACKGROUND Operative treatment (surgery) is currently the standard way of treating displaced fractures of the olecranon. There is some evidence that good results can be achieved by treating these injuries non-operatively (without surgery). A direct comparison of these treatment methods is needed. AIM This study aims to determine if operative fixation (surgery) is superior to non-operative treatment for isolated displaced fractures of the olecranon (elbow tip) in patients presenting with recent fractures who are aged 75 years or older. HYPOTHESIS It is our hypothesis that operative treatment yields superior elbow pain and function after one year, compared to non-operative treatment. PARTICIPANTS Participants will be selected from patients who present to participating hospitals with olecranon fractures that have occurred within the last 2 weeks, who are eligible for the study. They will be randomised to one of the two treatment arms of the study (operative or non-operative treatment). OUTCOMES Participants will be followed for one year, and the function and pain in the elbow, as well as any complications and their X-rays will be compared.