A Novel Hemiarthroplasty Design for Treatment of Post-traumatic Elbow Ankylosis and Distal Humerus Nonunion: A Case Report.

CASE: A 26 year old man sustained a blast injury to the right elbow, resulting in chronic distal humerus nonunion and post-traumatic ankylosis. After debridement and flap coverage, a custom distal humerus hemiarthroplasty construct with extramedullary orthogonal plating was used. Satisfaction and functional outcomes were maintained through 6 years of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

This case presents a unique 1-stage surgical solution which demonstrates the potential for uncemented extramedullary hemiarthroplasty fixation with simultaneous compression plate osteosynthesis across a nonunion site. The potential for hemiarthroplasty designs to be linked to orthogonal plates preserves the intramedullary canal for future conversion to total elbow arthroplasty if necessary.