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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
Complications of total elbow arthroplasty
Jaehon M Kim1, Chaitanya S Mudgal, Joseph F Konopka
1Harvard Combined Orhtopaedics Residency Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Modifications in implant design and improvements in surgical technique have expanded the applications of total elbow arthroplasty. Complications associated with reconstructive elbow surgery persist, however, often leading to profound and sometimes nonsalvageable disability. The most recognized complications include implant loosening, periprosthetic fracture, implant failure, infection, triceps insufficiency, and nerve palsy. Although far fewer elbow arthroplasties than lower extremity arthroplasties are performed, the proportion of complications is greater with elbow arthroplasty, and the outcomes of secondary reconstruction are less favorable.
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