Results after 562 total elbow replacements: a report from the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to give results of elbow arthroplasty for a relatively large population and compare different prosthesis brands and different patient subgroups.

Methods: Between 1994 and 2006, 562 total elbow replacement operations were reported to the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register. Revisions of prostheses were shown using Kaplan-Meier failure curves, and risk of revision was calculated using Cox regression analysis.

Results: The overall 5- and 10-year failure rates were 8% and 15%, respectively. There were only minor differences between the different implants. Patients who developed traumatic arthritis after fracture had the worst prognosis compared with inflammatory arthritis (P = .005). Risk of revision was also increased when the ulnar component was inserted without cement (P = .02.)

Conclusions: Good results in terms of prosthesis survival were obtained with total elbow arthroplasty, although results were worse than for knee- and hip arthroplasties. The best results were achieved in patients with inflammatory arthritis.