Total joint arthroplasty. The elbow.

The first total elbow arthroplasty at the Mayo Clinic was performed in 1972, and it provided markedly superior results compared with previously performed procedures for elbow arthritis. However, a high revision rate (14%), due mainly to loosening (75%), tempered early enthusiasm for the procedure. Prospects for improved design and surgical technique based on our clinical experience and biomechanical data are encouraging. For the present, however, more limited procedures are recommended, and the total elbow arthroplasty is reserved for only a relatively few patients for whom there are no other viable surgical options.