Spontaneous divergent elbow dislocation after Sauve-Kapandji procedure

This is a report on an unusual complication of the Sauve-Kapandji procedure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Two women with rheumatoid arthritis who previously had an ipsilateral Sauve-Kapandji procedure experienced spontaneous transverse divergent elbow dislocations without evident trauma. Their radiographs showed medial dislocation of the proximal ulna, which was separated from the radial head. The radial head and distal end of the ulnar shaft showed remarkable instability by a pronation and supination motion without the radial and ulnar shafts being separated from each other. Stress radiographic examination showed significant loosening of all ligaments except the medial collateral ligament around the elbow and did not show disruption of the interosseous membrane. A unique chronic twist radioulnar dissociation which consists of gross instability of the radial head and the distal ulna without disruption of the interosseous membrane was considered to cause instability of the humeroulnar joint, which results in medial dislocation of the proximal ulna. This report suggests that there is a direct cause and effect relationship between the residual distal ulnar instability and the development of transverse divergent dislocation of the elbow in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after the Sauve-Kapandji procedure.