[Progress on surgical treatment for elbow tuberculosis]

Elbow tuberculosis is a rare disease of infectious osteoarthritis. The aim of operation for elbow tuberculosis is to maintain joint function, ensure stability of joint and improve quality of life, while there were controversies about the implementation details of different procedures. For elbow tuberculosis at an advanced stage, the clinical effect of forked osteotomy arthroplasty is effective and could meet with most patients without demand of strength. However, arthrodesis is only recommended for heavy manual workers with high demand of strength, and making research on the optimal fusion angle could improve satisfaction of patients. For elbow tuberculosis at the early stage, there were few reports about interposition arthroplasty, which has a recommendation of lower degree. Otherwise, hinged external fixator with arthrolysis is main procedure for its safety, effective clinical effects, and less recurrence of inflammation, the optimal approach of arthrolysis is the research focus at present. Elbow arthroscopic surgery could not only treat the simple synovial tuberculosis of elbow joint under arthroscope, but also improve positive rate under arthroscopic, and it is recommended to be used at the early unclear diagnosis of swelling and pain of chronic elbow joint. In addition, total elbow arthroplasty may be an option for patients with high functional requirements in the future.