Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery
Systematic ReviewEvidence-Based Indications for Elbow Arthroscopy
Section snippets
Methods
The methodology of this study was modeled on that described in Glazebrook et al.,3 where the concepts introduced by Wright et al.4, 5 were used to provide the evidence-based indications for ankle arthroscopy. A search of the PubMed database was performed in October 2010 for all published articles in the English language using the key words “elbow arthroscopy.” This returned 645 results. The abstracts of these articles were reviewed to identify those describing therapeutic studies reporting the
Results
There is fair-quality evidence for the recommendation for elbow arthroscopy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and lateral epicondylitis (grade of recommendation, B). There is weak evidence for, rather than against, the use of elbow arthroscopy in the treatment of degenerative arthritis, OCD, radial head resection, loose bodies, post-traumatic arthrofibrosis, posteromedial impingement, excision of plica, and fractures (grade Cf). There is insufficient evidence to make a recommendation for
Discussion
Like arthroscopy of other joints, elbow arthroscopy is an attractive way to access the joint without a larger incision and the perceived morbidity of an arthrotomy.18 The proximity of neurovascular structures makes elbow arthroscopy potentially more risky than arthroscopy of other joints.18 The literature is littered with reports of severe neurologic injuries as a result of elbow arthroscopy.46, 57, 75, 77, 82
It is only in the past few decades that elbow arthroscopy has become more commonly
Conclusions
The available evidence supports the use of elbow arthroscopy in the management of the majority of conditions where it is currently used. The quality of the evidence, however, is generally fair to poor.
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2021, Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related SurgeryCitation Excerpt :This is quite different from capsular releases performed on pediatric patients, where elbow arthritis is very uncommon. In a systematic review providing evidence based recommendations for elbow arthroscopy by Yeoh et al.7 that did not specifically address adults versus children, it was found that evidence generally supported elbow arthroscopy for the majority of conditions where it is used. However, although there was fair evidence supporting arthroscopy for rheumatoid arthritis and lateral epicondylitis, for OCD there was found to be poor evidence supporting elbow arthroscopy.7
The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest in the authorship and publication of this article.