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Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
Total elbow arthroplasty under unfavourable soft tissue conditions
Hwan Jin Kim1, Jung Youn Kim2, Young Moon Kee1
1Shoulder & Elbow Clinic, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 1 Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 130-702, Korea.
Purpose:
To evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of patients with total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) and soft tissue reconstruction.
Methods:
We investigated six patients who underwent TEA and soft tissue reconstruction (two elbows with 1-stage surgery and four elbows with 2-stage surgery). The mean patient age at the time of the surgical procedure was 43.2 years; the mean follow-up duration was 88.2 months.
Results:
The mean pain visual analogue scale (VAS) during motion was improved from 6.3 pre-operatively to 0.7 at the last follow-up. The mean Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) improved from 26.7 pre-operatively to 81.7 at the last follow-up. The mean flexion-extension arcs of the 1- and 2-stage surgery groups increased from 12.5° and 13.8° pre-operatively to 72.5° and 100° at the last follow-up, respectively. The mean MEPS of the one and two stage surgery groups were 75 and 85, respectively, at the last follow-up. One of the six elbows had loosening on the simple radiograph at the last follow-up, and there were no cases with bushing wear. Three elbows needed additional skin debridement owing to wound complications (2/2 elbows in the 1-stage surgery group and 1/4 elbows in the 2-stage surgery group).
Conclusions:
Under unfavorable soft tissue conditions, performing soft tissue reconstruction with TEA provides satisfactory functional improvement and pain relief. The two stage surgery provided a lower rate of wound complication and better elbow function than the one stage surgery, which led to high patient satisfaction post-operatively.
Level Of Evidence:
Therapeutic Level IV.
