The diagnosis and treatment of Criss-Cross injury of the forearm: A retrospective analysis

•‘Criss-Cross’ injury of the forearm in adults is extremely rare. Due to the paucity of cases, the pathological changes, injury patterns and treatment have not been clearly described.•Criss-Cross injury could be associated with different fractures with or without simultaneous convergent elbow dislocation.•The basic principle of treatment is to reduce both PRUJ and DRUJ by closed reduction or surgery, followed by early rehabilitation.•Most of the patients regained good forearm function after receiving either conservative or surgical treatment. Due to the paucity of ‘Criss-Cross’ injury, the pathological changes and injury patterns have not been clearly described; as well as the treatment and prognosis. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the treatment and clinical outcomes of ‘Criss-Cross’ injury of the forearm. All patients diagnosed with Criss-Cross injury meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria in our Level 3 hospital (most advanced level) from 2010 to 2022, were enrolled in the study. A total of 12 patients were enrolled in our retrospective analysis. Closed reduction was successful in 3 patients, open reduction performed in the remaining patients. 6 patients associated with a fracture, while 2 cases had a concomitant convergent elbow dislocation. The follow-up time in conservative patients was 23.0 months on average (3–51 months), while 38.4 months in surgery group on average (3–108 months). The forearm function was evaluated with the Anderson's forearm function score. The range of motion (ROM) of the elbow and wrist and forearm rotation including any complications was also documented during the follow-up. On final follow-up, ROM of the elbow, wrist, and forearm rotation significantly improved after conservative treatment (50.0 ± 24.5° to 128.3 ± 2.9°, 55.0 ± 7.1° to 166.7 ± 5.8°, 83.3 ± 20.8° to 165.0 ± 15.0°, respectively, p