Acute complex instability of the elbow treated with internal joint stabilizer IJS-E System

Treatment of acute complex fracture-dislocation of the elbow has been associated with a high rate of complications. Internal Joint Stabilizer of the Elbow (IJSE) device appears as a valid option to optimize and improve our results.

We present a retrospective case series of five patients treated at our institution with IJS-E System (Skeletal DynamicsR) from February 2019 to 2020. Our inclusion criteria was: patients over 18 years old surgically treated with IJS-E due to persistent elbow instability despite of a suitable osteoligamentous surgical repair.

We obtained a total of five patients (4 males and 1 female) with an average age of 37.4 years old (24-71). The Injury pattern was posterolateral instability, TTIE in all cases. The mean final postoperative MEP score was 94 points (85-100) and the postoperative DASH score was 11.78 points (4.2-20.6) with an average follow-up of 9.8 months (6-12). We described a final arc of motion of 134° with a range of flexionbetween 120° and 140° and a mean lack of extension of 12° (5°-20°), with a complete arc of pronosupination. As complications we found one case of heterotopic ossfication and one case of elbow stiffnes. However, no complications device-related or articular incongruence were reported during follow-up.

The IJS-E device appears as an effective alternative instead of external fixation. Nevertheless, a high rate of reoperation up to 100% is associated with IJS-E. A larger series, longer follow-up and prospective studies are needed to define properly his role in the surgical treatment of acute elbow instability.