[Endoprosthetic joint replacement of the contracted elbow joint]

In a retrospective study 14 patients were reviewed 63 months after the implantation of a semi-constrained total elbow prosthesis in fourteen stiff or ankylosed elbows with a preoperative range of elbow motion of 30 degrees or less. The result, according to the Mayo Elbow Performance score, was excellent for four elbows, good for four, fair for one, and poor for five. The average arc of flexion improved from 7 to 68 degrees postoperatively with an average increase of 34 degrees in flexion, and 27 degrees in extension. There were seven complications affecting seven of the 14 elbows and four of these seven elbows underwent a revision procedure. Replacement for a stiff elbow is the least predictable, has the lowest overall rate of success and highest complication rate, than any other procedure. Nevertheless, these disadvantages must be placed in the context of alternative intervention options. The semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty seems to be a useful option for patients older than 50 years with intrinsic stiffness involving more than 50% of the articular surface and with an ankylosed or very stiff elbow.