Resection of the radial head: an alternative to use of a prosthesis?

Prosthetic substitution of the head of the radius after comminuted fractures has not yielded satisfactory long-term results. For this reason, resection of the radial head is to be preferred in many cases. In the period from 1971 through 1985, 23 resection of the radial head were performed. After a follow-up interval of 17 years, on average, we did a personal reexamination of all patients. Using the Morrey score, we obtained 18 very good, 4 good, and 5 satisfactory results, but not a single poor outcome. On the basis of reports in the literature and our own results, we recommend resection of the radial head, especially in cases in which stable osteosynthesis cannot be achieved, as long as there are no better long-term results of prosthetic substitution of the radial head.