Total Elbow Arthroplasty in Young Patients - An 8-Year Follow-up Case Series.

INTRODUCTION: Certain elbow pathologies can give rise to considerable loss of joint function, which would severely affect the daily living activities of the patients. Total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) can be a safe and reasonable motion-preserving and pain-relieving option in such debilitating elbow conditions. The aim of this case series is to evaluate the functional outcome of TEA in young patients with four different indications after an 8-year follow-up.

CASE REPORT: We report a case series of four TEA cases done for different indications, namely rheumatoid arthritis, chronic elbow dislocation, post-traumatic elbow ankylosis, and failed primary total elbow replacement, all in relatively young patients. All patients were given a semi-constrained Coonrad-Morrey prosthesis using a posterior Bryan-Morrey approach. The cases were done during the years 2013-2014. Eight-year follow-up of each case showed excellent functional outcome and persistent pain relief with a high Mayo Elbow Performance Score. All the patients have given written consent for publishing this article.

CONCLUSION: Despite being uncommon, total elbow replacement can be the choice of surgery for certain elbow affections, giving satisfactory functional recovery and good pain relief, even in a younger population.