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

Abstract

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. 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. 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.) 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.