Unstable elbow dislocations: A case report of a new surgical technique

Abstract

This case report describes our first clinical experience of a previously described new surgical technique for the treatment of unstable simple elbow dislocations. The technique utilises a central strip of the distal triceps tendon which is harvested proximally at the musculotendonous junction and left attached at its insertion on the olecranon. The strip is the passed through the olecranon fossa and attached to the coronoid process to stabilise the joint. We encountered an early postoperative complication that led to a modification of our technique and ultimately an excellent recovery of a stable pain free joint with a full range of movement.