Total elbow arthroplasty for active primary tuberculosis of the elbow: a curious case of misdiagnosis

The incidence of musculoskeletal tuberculosis (TB) is on the rise due to the current Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) pandemic. Spine is the most common osseous site, followed by other joints. TB identified in the elbow accounts for 2%–5% of skeletal TB cases, which are secondary to pulmonary TB. Primary elbow TB is rare. We report a case of primary TB of the elbow which had a negative synovial biopsy. A 46-year-old right-hand dominant female patient with chronic pain and disability of the right elbow was diagnosed with chronic non-specific arthritis based on an arthroscopic synovial biopsy. The case was diagnosed retrospectively as active TB from bone cuts post total elbow arthroplasty (TEA). Anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) was given postoperatively for 12 months. The patient reported good functional outcomes at 3 years of follow-up. Such atypical presentations of osteoarticular TB are challenging to diagnose. Therefore, particularly in endemic areas, clinicians should be careful before excluding such a diagnosis even after a negative biopsy. Further research should investigate whether active TB of small joints such as the elbow can be treated with ATT, and early arthroplasty should be a focus of this research.

Soft-tissue coverage for wound complications following total elbow arthroplasty

Background: In patients with total elbow arthroplasty (TEA), the soft-tissue around the elbow can be vulnerable to soft-tissue complications. This study aims to assess the outcomes after soft-tissue reconstruction following TEA. Methods: We retrospectively included nine adult patients who underwent soft-tissue reconstruction following TEA. Demographic data and disease characteristics were collected through medical chart reviews. Additionally, we contacted all four patients that were alive at the time of the study by phone to assess any current elbow complications. Local tissue rearrangement was used for soft-tissue reconstruction in six patients, and a pedicle flap was used in three patients. The median follow-up period was 1.3 years (range, 6 months–14.7 years).Results: Seven patients (78%) underwent reoperation. Four patients (44%) had a reoperation for soft-tissue complications, including dehiscence or nonhealing of infected wounds. Five patients (56%) had a reoperation for implant-related complications, including three infections and two peri-prosthetic fractures. At the final follow-ups, six patients (67%) achieved successful wound healing and two patients had continued wound healing issues, while two patients had an antibiotic spacer in situ and one patient underwent an above-the-elbow amputation. Conclusions: This study reports a complication rate of 78% for soft-tissue reconstructions after TEA. Successful soft-tissue healing was achieved in 67% of patients, but at the cost of multiple surgeries. Early definitive soft-tissue reconstruction could prove to be preferable to minor interventions such as irrigation, debridement, and local tissue advancement, or smaller soft-tissue reconstructions using local tissue rearrangement or a pedicled flap at a later stage.

The Japanese Version of the Patient-Rated Elbow Evaluation is a Useful Outcome Measure that Potentially Reflects Hand Function in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis who Underwent Total Elbow Arthroplasty

Objective We examined the relationship between The Japanese version of Patient-Related Elbow Evaluation (PREE-J) and other established subjective and objective outcome measures in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who underwent total elbow arthroplasty (TEA). Patients and Methods This study involved 46 elbows of 40 RA patients. We collected clinical data one year after surgery, including the PREE-J, the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), and Hand20. The correlation and responsiveness to PREE-J were evaluated compared with other outcome measures pre-and postoperatively. Results Almost all outcome measures were improved significantly after surgery. Preoperative PREE-J was significantly correlated with preoperative DASH, Hand20, and MEPS. Interestingly, postoperative PREE-J did not correlate with postoperative MEPS. Multiple regression analyses revealed that preoperative grip strength (B = -0.09; 95% CI -0.17 to -0.01, p = 0.03) and preoperative Hand20 (B = 0.31, 95% CI 0.03 - 0.58, p = 0.03) were significant factors those might influenced the postoperative PREE-J. Conclusions The PREE-J was shown to correlate well with other preoperative outcome measures among the RA patients included in the current study. The postoperative PREE-J after TEA was influenced by the preoperative grip strength and function of the hand.

The history of the development of elbow arthroplasty

Total elbow arthroplasty is a good alternative surgical solution for many patients with severe traumatic and inflammatory joint injuries. In case of bones multiple fractures of the elbow joint, arthroplasty can restore the stability of the joint and provide early mobilization of the limb, which is not always possible when performing osteosynthesis. This literature review provides information on the design features of foreign and domestic endoprostheses of the elbow joint, long-term results of operations. The turbulent history of the development of elbow arthroplasty goes back over 60 years. At the same time, due to insufficient understanding of the biomechanics of the joint, the first attempts at its arthroplasty failed. Only in the early 70s, in connection with the improvement of the endoprostheses design and the operation technique, publications on the successful results of total elbow arthroplasty appear in the literature. In the 80s of the XX century implants with a semi-connected design and cemented placement technique have been developed, which still demonstrate better long-term results in comparison with implants with anatomical design. The analysis of publications on the topic of total elbow arthroplasty showed that significant achievements were observed only in the early 1990s, which is largely due to a better understanding of the biomechanics of the elbow joint, as a result, to the improvement of implant design and surgical technique.