Treatment of Chronic Simple Elbow Dislocation by Two Separate Incisions - A Case Report

Chronic elbow dislocation is a highly disabling condition to be treated and to provide a successful functional outcome. Surgical treatment of such conditions might result in persisting instability or stiffness of the elbow joint due to associated shortening and contracture of the soft tissues and articular incongruity. Most of the described open reduction techniques are through an extensile posterior approach which might result in increased post-operative stiffness. We report the treatment of such a case with separate medial and lateral incisions with the excellent functional outcome at 1-year follow-up.

A 45-year-old lady with 2-month-old elbow dislocation was planned for open reduction of the joint through two separate incisions, medial and lateral. Surgical details and difficulties faced will be analyzed in this paper. The patient currently has 30-140°flexion with complete pronation-supination movements at 1-year follow-up.

Chronic dislocation of the elbow is a highly disabling condition and has a very unpredictable outcome. By combining an understanding in the anatomy and biomechanics of the elbow with a proper surgical technique tailored to the individual patient, it is possible to achieve a functional and painless elbow in the majority of cases. By accessing medial and lateral elbow separately, the morbidity and wound complications of an extensile posterior approach can be reduced and also it has similar, if not better, functional results.