Question
A 69 year old woman with rheumatoid arthritis has had surgery for a painful, unstable elbow.
- What implant has been used?
- What are the indications for this procedure?
- What are the restrictions and complications?
Answer
Implant
- Cemented linked (semi constrained) total elbow arthroplasty
- Sloppy hinge design such as Coonrad-Morrey
Indications
- Rheumatoid arthritis with pain and instability
- Comminuted distal humerus fractures in elderly low demand patients
- Post-traumatic arthritis in older patients
- Distal humeral nonunion
- Tumour reconstruction
Restrictions
- Lifting limit about 2 to 5 kg repeated or 5 to 10 kg once
- No impact or heavy manual work
- Unsuitable for young manual workers
Complications
- Infection, higher than hip and knee, 3 to 8%
- Wound breakdown over the olecranon
- Ulnar nerve injury, transpose the nerve
- Aseptic loosening
- Bushing wear
- Periprosthetic fracture
- Triceps insufficiency
Related pages
Author Contributions
Orthofracs team
Reviewed by Professor Phong Tran, Head of Orthopaedic Surgery, Western Health. Last updated 10 October 2026.