Elbow Arthroplasty: A Concise Literature Update

Total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) is increasingly used, especially in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and distal humerus fractures (DHFs). This narrative review of the recent literature published in 2022 reached the following conclusions: 1) Age greater than 80 is not a contraindication for TEA. 2) The estimated 10-year survival reported for linked TEAs is 92%, and unlinked TEAs 84%. 3) For DHFs in the elderly, regarding the flexion/extension arc, TEA gives substantially better results than open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). The reoperation and elbow stiffness rates are substantially lower in TEA than in ORIF. 4) Comparing distal humeral hemiarthroplasty (DHH) vs. TEA in individuals over 65 years with a non-reconstructable DHF favors DHH regarding the range of motion but with a similarly high rate of adverse events in the two surgical techniques. 5) The rate of eradication of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is 69-76% with two-stage, 71% with resection arthroplasty, 67% with one-stage, 58% with DAIR, and 40% with elbow arthrodesis.