Joint surgery in Ehlers-Danlos patients: results of a survey

The Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a rare, hereditary, connective-tissue disorder that results in increased laxity and poor soft-tissue healing. Surgical results and complications in these patients are not well documented in the literature. The goal of the present study was to survey patients with EDS who had surgery to the musculoskeletal system and document the results of surgery and complications. Forty-four patients with EDS were surveyed regarding the complications and results of surgical procedures to the shoulder, the elbow, the knee, or the ankle. Surgical procedures were performed for pain, instability, poor range of motion, or a combination of these, totaling 214 procedures. The population surveyed in the present study demonstrates that problems of surgical procedures in EDS may be high relative to other populations without connective-tissue disorders. More study is warranted in this patient population to validate the results in a larger cohort.