LONG-TERM CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF THE DISCOVERY TOTAL ELBOW ARTHROPLASTY

The Discovery Elbow System is a total elbow replacement (TER) designed to address complications associated with earlier TER designs which had high revision rates. Due to the relatively low volume of TER performed in the UK each year the literature lacks high-quality long-term outcome data. The aim of this study is to report long term clinical outcomes of the Discovery TER. TERs were performed from 2011 to 2024 by 3 surgeons at a single tertiary referral centre. The patients were identified through retrospective search of prospectively coded patients. The mean follow up was 89 months (12-165). The average age at operation was 59.4 years. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed with revision as the end point and deaths censored. A total of 177 TER were included in the study. Implant survivorship was 96% at 5 years (121 patients) and 90% at 10 years (38 patients) The overall revision rate was 7% (13 TER). Infection occurred in 6% (9) and periprosthetic fracture in 4% (8). Ulnar neuritis occurred in 7% (10) of which 1 patient underwent ulnar nerve transposition. 13% (24) had radiographic signs of component loosening, of which 5% (7) underwent revision surgery for this. This is the largest series in the literature of clinical outcomes of the discovery total elbow replacement. The overall rate of complications was reduced compared to other studies on TER and can be used to council patients on promising outcomes when the procedure is performed by higher volume surgeons.