We aim to analyze the role of patient-related factors on the yield of progenitor cells in the bone marrow aspiration concentrate (BMAC). We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent autologous iliac crest-based BMAC therapy between Jan 2021–and June 2021. Patient-related factors such as age, sex, and comorbidities and procedure variables such as aspirate volume were analyzed. The yield of the bone marrow aspiration concentrate was assessed with MNC count and CFU assay from the aspirates. 63 patients with a mean age of 51.33±17.98 years were included in the study. There were 31 males and 32 females in the study population with a mean volume of 67.16±17.312 ml being aspirated from the iliac crest for the preparation of BMAC. The final aspirate had a mean MNC count of 20.16±15.73×10^6 cells which yielded a mean of 11±12 CFUs. We noted significant negative correlation between age and MNC count (r=minus;0.671, p<0.001) and CFUs (r=minus;0.688, p<0.001). We did not find the sex to have any significant role in MNC (p=0.082) count or CFUs formed (p=0.348). The presence of comorbidity significantly reduced the MNC count (p=0.003) and CFUs formed (p=0.005). The aspiration volume significantly negatively correlated with MNC count (r=minus;0.731, p<0.001) and CFUs (r=minus;0.618, p<0.001). The MNC count and CFUs formed from the BMAC depend on the patient-specific subjective variables such as age, and comorbid conditions present in them. Sex and volume of aspiration do not alter the MNC count or the CFUs formed from BMAC

Mechanical failure of spine posterior fixation in the lumbar region Is suspected to occur more frequently when the sagittal balance is not properly restored. While failures at the proximal extremity have been studied in the literature, the lumbar distal junctional pathology has received less attention. The aim of this work was to investigate if the spinopelvic parameters, which characterize the sagittal balance, could predict the mechanical failure of the posterior fixation in the distal lumbar region.

All the spine surgeries performed in 2017-2019 at Rizzoli Institute were retrospectively analysed to extract all cases of lumbar distal junctional pathology. All the revision surgeries performed due to the pedicle screws pull-out, or the breakage of rods or screws, or the vertebral fracture, or the degenerative disc disease, in the distal extremity, were included in the junctional (JUNCT) group. A total of 83 cases were identified as JUNCT group. All the 241 fixation surgeries which to date have not failed were included in the control (CONTROL) group. Clinical data were extracted from both groups, and the main spinopelvic parameters were assessed from sagittal standing preoperative (pre-op) and postoperative (post-op) radiographs with the software Surgimap (Nemaris). In particular, pelvic incidence (PI), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), pelvic tilt (PT), T1 pelvic angle (TPA), sacral slope (SS) and lumbar lordosis (LL) have been measured.

In JUNCT, the main failure cause was the screws pull-out (45%). Spine fixation with 7 or more levels were the most common in JUNCT (52%) in contrast to CONTROL (14%). In CONTROL, PT, TPA, SS and PI-LL were inside the recommended ranges of good sagittal balance. For these parameters, statistically significant differences were observed between pre-op and post-op (p<0.0001, p=0.01, p<0.0001, p=0.004, respectively, Wilcoxon test). In JUNCT, the spinopelvic parameters were out of the ranges of the good sagittal balance and the worsening of the balance was confirmed by the increase in PT, TPA, SVA, PI-LL and by the decrease of LL (p=0.002, p=0.003, p<0.0001, p=0.001, p=0.001, respectively, paired t-test) before the revision surgery. TPA (p=0.003, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) and SS (p=0.03, unpaired t-test) differed significantly in pre-op between JUNCT and CONTROL. In post-op, PI-LL was significantly different between JUNCT and CONTROL (p=0.04, unpaired t-test). The regression model of PT vs PI was significantly different between JUNCT and CONTROL in pre-op (p=0.01, Z-test).

These results showed that failure is most common in long fused segments, likely due to long lever arms leading to implant failure. If the sagittal balance is not properly restored, after the surgery the balance is expected to worsen, eventually leading to failure: this effect was confirmed by the worsening of all the spinopelvic parameters before the revision surgery in JUNCT. Conversely, a good sagittal balance seems to avoid a revision surgery, as it is visible is CONTROL. The mismatch PI-LL after the fixation seems to confirm a good sagittal balance and predict a good correction. The linear regression of PT vs PI suggests that the spine deformity and pelvic conformation could be a predictor for the failure after a fixation.

Chordoma of the cervical spine is a rare but life-threatening disease with a relentless tendency towards local recurrence. Wide en bloc resection is recommended, but it is frequently not feasible in the cervical spine. Radiation therapy including high-energy particle therapy is commonly used as adjuvant therapy. The goal of this study was to examine treatment and outcome of patients with chordoma of the cervical spine.

Patients affected by cervical spine chordoma who underwent surgery at the Rizzoli Institute and University Hospital of Modena, between 2007 and 2021 were identified. The clinical, pathologic, and radiographic data were reviewed in all cases. Patient outcomes including local recurrence and disease-specific survival (DSS) were analyzed using chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

Characteristics of the 29 patients (10 females; 19 males) included: median age at surgery 52.0 years (IQR 35.5 - 62.5 years), 10 (35%) involved upper cervical spine, 16 (55%) with tumors in the mid cervical spine, and 4 in the lower cervical spine (10%). Median tumor volume was 16 cm³ (IQR 8.7 - 20.8). Thirteen patients (45%) were previously treated surgically while 9 patients (31%) had previous radiation therapy. All patients underwent surgery: en bloc resection was passible in 4 patients (14 %), seventeen patients (59%) were treated with gross total resection while 8 patients (27%) underwent subtotal resection. Tumor volume was associated with a significantly higher risk of intraoperative complications (p < 0.01). Nineteen patients (65%) received adjuvant high-energy particle therapy. The median follow-up was 26 months (IQR 11 - 44). Twelve patients (41%) had local recurrence of disease. Patients treated with adjuvant high-energy particle therapy had a significant higher local control than patients who received photons or no adjuvant treatment (p = 0.01). Recurrence was the only factor significantly associated with worse DSS (p = 0.03 – OR 1.7), being the survival of the group of patients with recurrent disease 58.3% while the survival of the group of patients with no recurrent disease was 100%.

Post-operative high-energy particle therapy improved local control in patients with cervical chordoma after surgical resection. Increased tumor volume was associated with increased risk of intraoperative complications. Recurrence of the disease was the only factor significantly associated with disease mortality.

Abstract

Objectives. Intramedullary fixation is considered the most stable treatment for pertrochanteric fractures of the proximal femur and cut-out is one of the most frequent mechanical complications. In order to determine the role of clinical variables and radiological parameters in predicting the risk of this complication, we analysed the data pertaining to a group of patients recruited over the course of six years. Methods. A total of 571 patients were included in this study, which analysed the incidence of cut-out in relation to several clinical variables: age; gender; the AO Foundation and Orthopaedic Trauma Association classification system (AO/OTA); type of nail; cervical-diaphyseal angle; surgical wait times; anti-osteoporotic medication; complete post-operative weight bearing; and radiological parameters (namely the lag-screw position with respect to the femoral head, the Cleveland system, the tip-apex distance (TAD), and the calcar-referenced tip-apex distance (CalTAD)). Results. The incidence of cut-out across the sample was 5.6%, with a higher incidence in female patients. A significantly higher risk of this complication was correlated with lag-screw tip positioning in the upper part of the femoral head in the anteroposterior radiological view, posterior in the latero-lateral radiological view, and in the Cleveland peripheral zones. The tip-apex distance and the calcar-referenced tip-apex distance were found to be highly significant predictors of the risk of cut-out at cut-offs of 30.7 mm and 37.3 mm, respectively, but the former appeared more reliable than the latter in predicting the occurrence of this complication. Conclusion. The tip-apex distance remains the most accurate predictor of cut-out, which is significantly greater above a cut-off of 30.7 mm. Cite this article: G. Caruso, M. Bonomo, G. Valpiani, G. Salvatori, A. Gildone, V. Lorusso, L. Massari. A six-year retrospective analysis of cut-out risk predictors in cephalomedullary nailing for pertrochanteric fractures: Can the tip-apex distance (TAD) still be considered the best parameter?. Bone Joint Res 2017;6:481–488. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.68.BJR-2016-0299.R1

Purpose: Surgery is the mainstay treatment for chondro-sarcoma. About 35–40% of these tumours are located in the pelvis. Treatment requires significant sacrifices to ensure acceptable survival. Material and methods: This retrospective analysis of ten patients treated between 1993 and 2001 for pelvic chon-drosaromas was undertaken to examine survival and functional sequelae as a function of treatment and tumour grade. All patients had primary chondrosarcoma. The population included seven men and three women, mean age 50.9 years (range 28–77). Mean survival was 39.7 months. A biopsy was obtained in all cases (seven under scan guidance). Six patients required complementary surgical biopsy. According to the O’Neel and Ackermann classification, the tumours were grade I in five patients, grade II in two, grade III in three. Tumour classification according to the Enneking topography was: zone I one patient, zone I and II one patient, zone I+II+III one patient, zone II three patients, zone II+III three patients, and zone III one patient. Careful search for extension failed to identify metastasis preoperatively in any patient. For six patients, tumour resection was performed without reconstruction. Resection was associated with a Pugent reconstruction in three patients. All patients were reviewed with an AP view of the pelvis and a chest x-ray. Results: In sano resection was achieved in eight out of nine patients. For the ninth patient, resection was marginal according to the pathology report. Postoperative survival revealed the presence of metastasis in three patients. One patient developed recurrent tumour. At last follow-up, two patients had died and one had multiple metastases. Seven are currently disease free. Early postoperative complications occurred in 80% of the patients. Discussion: Currently, surgery remains the treatment of choice for pelvic chondrosarcoma, despite the major perioperative morbidity. Reconstruction, if attempted must always respect the rules of carcinological resection. Reconstruction does not appear to be mandatory since the rate of secondary and late complications remains particularly high in the case of extensive reconstruction. Histological grade, tumour size and quality of surgical resection are the predominant prognostic factors

Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) centers are garnering the attention of different arthroplasty surgeons and practices alike. Nonetheless, their value has yet to be proven. Therefore, we evaluated weather PJI centers produce comparable outcomes to the national average of THA PJIs on a national cohort.

We performed a retrospective review of patient data available on PearlDiver from 2015 – 2021. PJI THA cases were identified through ICD-10 and CPT codes. Patients treated by 6 fellowship trained arthroplasty surgeons from a PJI center were matched based on age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index and Elixhauser comorbidity index at a 1:1 ratio to patients from the national cohort. Compared outcomes included LOS, ED visits, number of patients readmitted, total readmissions. Sample sized did not allow the evaluation of amputation, fusion or explantation. Normality was tested through the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. And comparisons were made with Students t-tests and Chi Square testing.

A total of 33,001 THA PJIs and were identified. A total of 77 patients were identified as treated by the PJI center cohort and successfully matched. No differences were noted in regard to age, gender distribution, CCI or ECI (p=1, 1, 1 and 0.9958 respectively). Significant differences were noted in mean LOS (p<0.43), number of patients requiring readmissions (p=0.001) and total number of readmission events (p<0.001). No difference was noted on ED visits.

Our study demonstrates that a PJI for THA cases may be beneficial for the national growing trend of arthroplasty volume. Future data, that allows comparison of patient's specific data will allow for further validation of PJI centers and how these can play a role in helping the national PJI growing problem.

Until today it is unknown whether preservation of the joint capsule positively affects patient reported outcome (PROs) in DAA-THA. A recent RCT found no clinical difference at 1 year. Since 2015 we preserve the capsule suture it at the end. We here evaluate whether this change had any effect on PROs and revisions, 2 years post-operatively.

Two subsequent cohorts operated by the senior author were compared. The capsule was resected in the first cohort (January 2012 – December 2014) and preserved in the second cohort (July 2015 – December 2017). No other technical changes have been introduced between the two cohorts. Patient demographics, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and surgical data were collected from our clinical information system. 2-years PROs questionnaires (OHS, COMI Hip) were obtained. Data was analyzed with generalized multiple regression analysis.

430 and 450 patients were included in the resected and preserved cohorts, respectively. Demographics, CCI surgical time and length of stay were equal in both groups. Blood loss was less in the preserved cohort (p<.05). Four patients had a revision (1 vs 3, n.s.). Once corrected for demographics, capsule preservation had significant worse PROs: +0.24 COMI (p<.001) and −1.6 OHS points (p<.05), however, effects were much smaller than the minimal clinically important difference (0.95 and 5 respectively). The date of surgery (i.e. surgeon's age) was not a significant factor.

In this large retrospective study, we observed statistically significant, but probably clinically not relevant, worse PROs with capsule preservation. It might be speculated that the not resected hypertrophied capsule could have caused this difference.

There has been significant interest in day-case and rapid discharge pathways for unicompartmental knee replacements (UKR). Pathways to date have shown this to be a safe and feasible option; however, no studies to date have published results of rapid-discharge pathways using the NAVIO robotic system. To date there is no published experience with rapid discharge UKR patients using the NAVIO robotic system. We report an initial experience of 11 patients who have safely been discharged within 24 hours. With the primary goal of investigating factors that led to rapid discharge and a secondary goal of evaluating the safety of doing so.

All patients were discharged within 24 hours; there were no post-operative complications and no readmissions to hospital. The mean length of stay was 16.9 hours (SD=7.3), with most patients seen once on average by physiotherapy. Active range of motion at 6 weeks was 0.7o to 130.5 o, with all patients mobilising independently. The average 6-month post-operative Oxford Knee Score was 43.5 out of 48. There were no readmission or complications in any of our patients.

This initial feasibility study identified that patients could be safely discharged within 24 hours after UKR using the NAVIO robotic system. With growing uptake of robotic procedures, with longer operative durations than traditional procedures, it is essential to ensure a rapid discharge to reduce healthcare cost whilst ensuring that patients are discharged home in a safe manner.

Purpose: This retrospective analysis was designed to determine the contribution of arthroscopy in the management of moderately stiff elbows arising from degenerative disease or trauma. Material and methods: Between 1992 and 2001, we performed 31 arthroscopic examinations of the elbow in patients with moderately stiff elbows. Mean preoperative motion was 94.8°. Men age at surgery was 41.6 years; there were nine women and 22 men. The dominant side was involved in 70% of the cases. Twentyfive patients were available for clinical review at a mean 32 months follow-up (range 5 months to 9 years). The causal event was trauma in 13 cases. The stiff elbow was a consequence of degenerative disease in 13 cases with no notion of trauma. Three elbows had been exposed to repeated microtrauma. For the majority of the cases, the intervention consisted in an anterior time via two portals then a posterior time. In five cases, anterior capsulotomy was performed. The other interventions were limited to joint cleaning. For two elbows, we used the Kashiwagi Outerbridge technique. Neurolysis of the ulnar nerve was performed at the elbow level during the same operative time. Results: Elbow motion in flexion was significantly improved after arthroscopy (P=0.01) and the flexion of the stiff elbow was reduced significantly (P=0.0001). At last follow-up none of the patients felt arthroscopy had worsened the elbow condition. The gain in joint motion was 25°. This gain was significantly greater when we performed anterior capsulotomy at the end of the procedure (P< 0.001). In three cases, there was a postoperative loss of motion. We did not have any intra or postoperative complications. Eighty percent of the patients felt arthroscopy had improved their elbow. Discussion: Arthroscopy of the stiff elbow arising from variable causes remains a difficult intervention which in our series provided gain in motion comparable to that reported in other series in the literature. This could be an interesting less invasive alternative to open surgery in the case of moderately stiff elbow

Introduction and Objective

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, first identified in China in December 2019, halted daily living with mandatory lockdowns imposed in Israel in March 2020. This halt induced a sedentary lifestyle for most citizens as well as a decreased physical activity time. These are both common risk factors for the development of low back pain (LBP) which is considered a major global medical and economical challenge effecting almost 1 in 3 people and a leading cause of Emergency Department (ED) visits. It is hypothesized that prevalence of minor LBP episodes during the first total lockdown should have increased compared to previous times. However, due to “Covid-19 fear” we expect a decrease in ED visits. We also speculate that rate of visits due to serious spinal illness (causing either immediate hospitalization or spinal surgery within 30-days of presentation) did not change.

Introduction

Distal femur fracture fixation in elderly presents significant challenges due to osteoporosis and associated comorbidities. There has been an evolution in the management of these fractures with a description of various surgical techniques and fixation methods; however, currently, there is no consensus on the standard of care. Non-union rates of up to 19% and mortality rates of up to 26 % at one year have been reported in the literature. Delay in surgery and delay in mobilisation post-operatively have been identified as two main factors for high rate of mortality. As biomechanical studies have proved better stability with dual plating or nail-plate combination, a trend has been shifting for past few years towards rigid fixation to allow early mobilisation. Our study aims to compare outcomes of distal femur fractures managed with either single plate (SP), dual plating (DP) or nail-plate construct (NP).

Introduction

Acute ankle injuries are commonly seen in musculoskeletal practice. Surgical management is the gold standard for lateral ligament injury in those with failed conservative treatment for a minimum of six months. Several studies have shown good functional outcome and early rehabilitation after MBG repair with an internal brace augmentation which is a braided ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene ligament used to enhance the repair that acts as a secondary stabiliser. Hence the aim of the study was to compare the results with and without augmentation.

Introduction. In recent years, there has been an increase in hip joint replacement surgery using short bone-preserving femoral stem. However, there are very limited data on postoperative periprosthetic fractures after cementless fixation of these stem although the periprosthetic fracture is becoming a major concern following hip replacement surgery. The purpose of this study is to determine incidence of postoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures following hip arthroplasty using bone preserving short stem in a large multi-center series. Materials & Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 897 patients (1089 hips) who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) or bipolar hemiarthroplasty (BHA) during the same interval (2011–2016) in which any other cementless, short bone-preserving femoral stem was used at 7 institutions. During the study, 1008 THAs were performed and 81 BHAs were performed using 4 different short femoral prostheses. Average age was 57.4 years (range, 18 – 97 years) with male ratio of 49.7% (541/1089). Postoperative mean follow-up period was 1.9 years (range, 0.2 – 7.9 years). Results. Overall incidence of postoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures was 1.1% (12/1089). The mean age of these 12 patients were 71.2 year (range, 43 – 86 years). Seven patients were female and other 5 were male. Time interval between primary arthroplasty and fracture were mean 1.1 years (range, 0.1 – 4.8 years). Injury mechanism is a slip in 10 fractures and fall from 1m or less in 2. Three fractures occurred after BHA while 9 occurred after THA. Four fractures were in type AG and other 8 were in type B1 according to Vancouver classification. Of the 4 with AG type, 2 underwent open reduction and internal fixation and 2 took conservative management. Of the 8 with B1 type, 6 underwent open reduction and internal fixation and 2 took conservative management. Conclusion. The prevalence of postoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures was 1.1% in a multicenter retrospective analysis of 1089 hips. Our findings suggest that postoperative periprosthetic fracture can occur after hip replacement surgery using short bone-preserving stem although the incidence is relatively low

Background

In the United Kingdom (UK), the fastest growing population demographic is the over 85 years of age, but despite this, outcomes achieved in the octogenarian population with a Unicompartmental Knee Replacement (UKR) are underrepresented in the literature. The Elective Orthopaedic Centre, Epsom, has an established patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) programme into which all patients are routinely enrolled. We aim to investigate the outcome of medial UKR using the oxford phase 3 implant in octogenarians.

Purpose: This retrospective analysis was based on observations in 15 patients, seven men and eight women, mean age 48 years (19–72) treated between 1988 and 2000 at the Curie Institute. The tumour was located in limbs in eight patients (one humerus, two femurs, four tibias, one fibula), in the axial skeleton in five (four pelvi, one sacrum), and in the rib cage and the scapula in one each. Histology examination of the dedifferentiated component displayed fibrosacroma in six cases, HFM in two, rhabdomyosarcoma in two and leiomyosarcoma and osteosarcoma in one each. Six patients were given neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy of the osteosarcoma type and underwent conservative surgery of the affected limb in three out of four cases. Total histological necrosis was observed in three out of six cases. Six patients were given adjuvant treatment alone using an osteosarcoma protocol. Three unoperable patients were given palliative chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Results: Nine patients died from their disease. The most frequent metastatic site was the lung; mean survival was 20 months. Six patients survived including five with no progression (1+, 5+, 6+, 7+, 12+ years). Three out of five had had preoperative chemotherapy with a complete histological response and two out of five had had osteosarcoma protocol adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusion: Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma is generally considered to have very poor prognosis and should lead to an adapted therapeutic strategy. In our series, the osteosarcoma protocol provided complete histological response in three out of six patients. Five patients had prolonged survival, all had been given an osteosarcoma type chemotherapy protocol

Purpose: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 82 orthopedic injury cases sustained by IDF military personnel during the recent low intensity conflict (the second Palestinian uprising) which is characterized by many casualties and high availability of medical services and evacuation means. Methods: Records of all orthopaedic combat casualties evacuated to two level–I trauma centers between November 2002 and October 2005 were reviewed. Data included demographics, evacuation time, location of wounds, wounding agents, associated injuries, early/ late care and complications. Results: There were 51 patients (62%) injured by fire-arms and 31 patients (38%) by fragments and explosives. Mean evacuation time was 60 (± 22) minutes. The spectrum of injuries included soft tissue injury −43 (52%), open fracture−40 (48%), neurologic injury-19 (23%), vascular injury-7 (8%) and amputation −1 (1%). The most common procedure was debridement and irrigation (D& I) which was performed on 70 patients (85%). 19% of the open fracture patients underwent primary internal fixation. The mean length of hospitalization was 5 days (range 1–36). A multivariate statistical analysis was done, and it was found that being included in more than one category stands alone as the only predictor for prolonged hospitalization. Infection rate was 9.7%, with length of stay being the only parameter associated with infection. Conclusion: The recent low intensity conflict is an excellent example of early and aggressive trauma care, with an increased use of primary internal fixation. There is a high incidence of open fractures (48% of all extremity injuries) and a low amputation rate (1%). Multiple operative procedures have been shown to be successful at limb salvage, but are time intensive

Aims

The aim of this study was to assess the incidence the microbiological spectrum and clinical outcome of hip and knee revision arthroplasties with unexpected-positive-intraoperative-cultures (UPIC) at a single center with minimum follow up of 2 years.

Open talus fracture are notoriously difficult to manage and they are commonly associated with a high level of complications including non-union, avascular necrosis and infection. Currently, the management of such injuries is based upon BOAST 4 guidelines although there is no suggested definitive management, thus definitive management is based upon surgeon preference. The key principles of open talus fracture management which do not vary between surgeons, however, there is much debate over whether the talus should be preserved or removed after open talus fracture/dislocation and proceeded to tibiocalcaneal fusion.

A review of electronic hospital records for open talus fractures from 2014-2021 returned foureen patients with fifteen open talus fractures. Seven cases were initially managed with ORIF, five cases were definitively managed with FUSION, while the others were managed with alternative methods. We collected patient's age, gender, surgical complications, surgical risk factors and post-treatment functional ability and pain and compliance with BOAST guidelines. The average follow-up of the cohort was four years and one month. EQ-5D-5L and FAAM-ADL/Sports score was used as a patient reported outcome measure. Data was analysed using the software PRISM.

Comparison between FUSION and ORIF groups showed no statistically significant difference in EQ-5D-5L score (P = 0.13), FAAM-ADL (P = 0.20), FAAM-Sport (P = 0.34), infection rate (P = 0.55), surgical times (P = 0.91) and time to weight bearing (P = 0.39), despite a higher proportion of polytrauma and Hawkins III and IV fractures in the FUSION group.

FUSION is typically used as second line to ORIF or failed ORIF. However, there are a lack of studies that directly compared outcome in open talus fracture patients definitively managed with FUSION or ORIF. Our results demonstrate for the first time, that FUSION may not be inferior to ORIF in terms of patient functional outcome, infection rate, and quality-of-life, in the management of patients with open talus fracture patients. Of note, as open talus fractures have increased risks of complications such as osteonecrosis and non-union, FUSION should be considered as a viable option to mitigate these potential complications in these patients.

Purpose of the study: Fracture dislocations are complex injuries compromising elbow stability and functional potential. The treatment of these injuries should restore the exact anatomy of the joint, the only guarantee for a good functional outcome. The purpose of our work was to analyse our results and review the literature in order to establish an evidence-based therapeutic algorithm essentially based on the type of associated fracture. Material and methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 15 cases (12 men, 3 women) reviewed at mean 18 months. The causal event was a fall in most patients, followed by traffic and sports accidents. This was a first-intention treatment for 12 patients and a second-intention intervention for three. Initially, none of the patients presented vessel or nerve injury. There were three open fractures. The most common fracture was: radial head (n=12), coronoid process (n=9). One or two approaches were used, depending on the type of associated fracture. Treatment consisted in fixation of the radial head (n=8) and arthroplasty (n=4).. The coronoid process was fixed in six cases. All ligament tears were repaired. An articulated external fixator was used in four cases. Results: All patients had a stable elbow. Mean flexion was 125, extension -16, pronation 72 and supination 63. Wrist force was 80% compared with the controlateral side. The Mayo Clinic function score was 84 points. Discussion: Reconstruction of the lateral osteoligament column, associated with fixation of the coronoid, restores stability in the majority of elbows. For very high energy injuries with complex bone and ligament damage, addition of an articulated external fixator is indispensable to enable early mobilization. Stiffness and instability are the most common complications after traumatic injury. Conclusion: Fracture dislocations of the elbow are complex injuries requiring adequate emergency care, with surgery as needed, for all lesions at the same time via one or two approaches followed by early rehabilitation. The function outcome depends on the intraoperative stability achieved and early mobilization