Medial collateral ligament healing after posttraumatic radial head arthroplasty: A retrospective study of 33 cases with a mean follow-up of 73 months.
Comminuted radial head fractures are usually associated with destabilizing lesions of the elbow. The radial head prosthesis (RHP) is a therapeutic alternative when fracture fixation is impossible, as it restores one of the elbow's secondary stabilizers. The aim of this study was to assess healing of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) after implantation of a RHP. All patients implanted with a RHP during the 2003-2012 period were eligible for follow-up ultrasound evaluation of MCL healing. A clinical evaluation with standardized tests (DASH and MEPS) was performed and the patients asked to evaluate their elbow's stability during the same follow-up visit. Out of the 33 eligible patients, 20 were included with a mean follow-up of 73 months. The MCL had been torn in 15 of these 20 patients; the MCL appeared healed on the ultrasound images in 13 patients. The elbow was considered subjectively stable in 19 patients. The mean DASH score was 21.4 (±16.67) and the mean MEPS was 84.7 (±13.9); these scores were 17.19 (±14.0) and 88.3 (±10.9) for patients with a healed MCL, versus 32.5 (±10.6) and 70 (±0.0) for patients with a non-healed MCL. Our findings suggest that a torn MCL can heal after RHP implantation, even without surgical ligament repair or reattachment.
Service d'orthopédie B, CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr-Émile-Laine, 59037 Lille cedex, France; Université Lille-Nord de France, 59000 Lille, France; Faculté de médecine Henri Warembourg, université Lille-Nord de France, place de Verdun, 59045 Lille cedex, France. Electronic address: c.wapler@wanadoo.fr.
Carl
C
Wapler
Service d'orthopédie B, CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr-Émile-Laine, 59037 Lille cedex, France; Faculté de médecine Henri Warembourg, université Lille-Nord de France, place de Verdun, 59045 Lille cedex, France; Laboratoire d'automatique, de mécanique, et d'informatique industrielles et humaines (LAMIH) FRE 3304, université de Valenciennes et du Hainaut-Cambraisis, Le Mont Houy, 59313 Valenciennes cedex 9, France. Electronic address: christian.fontaine@chru-lille.fr.
Christian
C
Fontaine
Service d'orthopédie B, CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr-Émile-Laine, 59037 Lille cedex, France; Faculté de médecine Henri Warembourg, université Lille-Nord de France, place de Verdun, 59045 Lille cedex, France. Electronic address: mesnilpierre@gmail.com.
Pierre
P
Mesnil
Service d'orthopédie B, CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr-Émile-Laine, 59037 Lille cedex, France; Faculté de médecine Henri Warembourg, université Lille-Nord de France, place de Verdun, 59045 Lille cedex, France; Laboratoire d'automatique, de mécanique, et d'informatique industrielles et humaines (LAMIH) FRE 3304, université de Valenciennes et du Hainaut-Cambraisis, Le Mont Houy, 59313 Valenciennes cedex 9, France; Service de traumatologie, CHRU de Lille, rue du Pr-Émile-Laine, 59037 Lille cedex, France. Electronic address: christophe.chantelot@chru-lille.fr.
Christophe
C
Chantelot
D000328:Adult; D001178:Arthroplasty / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D017885:Collateral Ligaments / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018460:Fractures, Comminuted / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D011884:Radius / Q000601:surgery*; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing
Arthroplastie de tête radiale; Cicatrisation; Coude; Elbow; Healing; Laxity; Laxité; Ligament collatéral médial; Medial collateral ligament; Post-traumatique; Posttraumatic; Prothèse de tête radiale; Radial head arthroplasty; Radial head prosthesis; Radial head replacement; Remplacement de tête radiale