Sarris I, Weiser R, and Sotereanos DG. orthopaedics division of upper extremity, Allegheny General Hospital, 320 east north avenue, suite 500, pittsburgh, PA, USA
Introduction: Since 1990 six patients have been treated at our institution for chronically subluxated or dislocated elbows. Four of the six patients presented after initial treatment for simple elbow dislocations which required operative reduction and casting due to marked instability. These four patients redislocated while casted, and were subsequently referred to our institution. No obvious fractures were noted in any of these patients. Materials and Methods: After proper evaluation with plain films and/or MRI scans each patient underwent operative intervention. The technique utilized ranged from lateral ulnar lateral collateral ligament reconstruction to lateral and medial collateral ligament reconstructions. The procedure utilized was based on whether instability persisted after reconstruction of the lateral corner of the elbow. All patients were placed in hinged external fixation to maintain the reduction during healing. Our average follow-up was 3.3 years. Results: Long-term evaluation indicated that four of six reconstructions remained stable radiographically. One patient continued to show evidence of subluxation radiographically, although functioned well and was happy with the ultimate outcome. The final patient redislocated and ultimately required a total elbow arthroplasty. Conclusion: Chronic elbow instability is an extremely difficult clinical situation. Unfortunately no treatment algorithm exists and each case must be individualized. We believe that treatment beginning with the lateral corner of the elbow and progressing to the medial corner of the elbow, if necessary, is a fairly effective method to maintain long-term stability of the elbow. Based on our results we believe that proper treatment can be effective in the majority of cases.