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Heterotopic Ossification of the Elbow Treated With Surgical Resection: Risk Factors, Bony Ankylosis, and Complications

  • Clinical Research
  • Published:
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®

Abstract

Background

Heterotopic ossification is the most common extrinsic cause of elbow contracture and may lead to clinically important stiffness, and rarely, complete bony ankylosis. Surgery sometimes is performed to treat this problem, and published reports differ regarding the factors that are associated with success or failure after this operation and whether the procedure is effective for patients with elbow ankylosis.

Questions/purposes

We wished (1) to identify potential patient characteristics and modifiable risk factors that are associated with improvements in ROM after surgery for heterotopic ossification of the elbow; (2) to compare ROM gains between patients with complete ankylosis and partially restricted ROM; and (3) to characterize the complications of elbows treated by surgical release and excision of heterotopic ossification followed by a standardized rehabilitation program.

Methods

We reviewed the records of all patients treated operatively for heterotopic ossification of the elbow from September 1999 to February 2012 at one institution by one surgeon. General indications for the surgery were clinically symptomatic or debilitating heterotopic ossification of the elbow. Each patient received prophylaxis postoperatively consisting of indomethacin (or single-shot radiation for patients with sensitivity to antiinflammatory medications). All patients received a physical therapy regimen and used a continuous passive motion machine for 6 weeks. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, time between injury and surgery, and medical history were reviewed for comparison. Followup was at a mean of 13 months (range, 3–106 months); no patients were lost to followup. Thirty-nine patients (46 elbows) with heterotopic ossification treated with excision were identified: 10 patients (16 elbows) had burns, 28 patients (29 elbows) had trauma, and one patient (one elbow) had a closed head injury. Eight of the 39 patients (12 of 46 elbows [26%]) had complete ankylosis at the time of surgery.

Results

Hypertension, obesity, and absence of intraoperative anterior ulnar nerve transposition were associated with an adverse effect on change from preoperative to final arc of motion. The group with ankylosis had greater preoperative to postoperative gain in arc compared with the group with partial restriction (96°, 95% CI, 84°–107° and 59°, 95% CI, 46°–72°, respectively). For the entire cohort there was an overall improvement in mean flexion-extension arc of motion from 35° to 103° at final followup (p < 0.001; 95% CI, 57°–80°), with a 17% rate of complications (three patients [three elbows] with heterotopic ossification, three patients [three elbows] with nerve palsies, one patient [one elbow] with deep wound infection, and one patient [one elbow] with an unstable elbow).

Conclusions

Patients with partially and completely restricted ROM showed substantial improvement in postoperative ROM. Hypertension, obesity, and absence of intraoperative anterior ulnar nerve transposition were negative predictors of outcome in our series. Surgery combined with postoperative prophylaxis and a regimented rehabilitation program are feasible modalities to treat patients with heterotopic ossification of the elbow.

Level of Evidence

Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Bayan Aghdasi MD, Orthopaedic Surgery, The Methodist Hospital, Texas Medical Center for help with data collection and his extraordinary commitment to this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Loyola University Health System, 2160 South First Avenue, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA

    Dane Salazar MD & Andrew Golz BS

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, St. Louis University, St Louis, MO, USA

    Heidi Israel PhD

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Guido Marra MD

Authors
  1. Dane Salazar MD
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  2. Andrew Golz BS
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  3. Heidi Israel PhD
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  4. Guido Marra MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dane Salazar MD.

Additional information

One of the authors certifies that he (GM), or a member of his or her immediate family, has or may receive payments or benefits, during the study period, an amount of less than 10,000 USD from Zimmer Inc (Warsaw, IN, USA).

All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request.

Each author certifies that his or her institution approved or waived approval for the human protocol for this investigation and that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.

This work was performed at Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA.

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Salazar, D., Golz, A., Israel, H. et al. Heterotopic Ossification of the Elbow Treated With Surgical Resection: Risk Factors, Bony Ankylosis, and Complications. Clin Orthop Relat Res 472, 2269–2275 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-014-3591-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-014-3591-0

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