Bone and Joint Institute
The shape match of the olecranon tip for reconstruction of the coronoid process: influence of side and osteotomy angle
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2019
Journal
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery
Volume
28
Issue
4
First Page
e117
Last Page
e124
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1016/j.jse.2018.10.022
Abstract
© 2018 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees Background: The integrity of the coronoid process is critical to maintaining elbow stability. Unreconstructible fractures and chronic coronoid deficiency are challenging clinical problems with no clear solution. The purposes of this study were to investigate the shape match of the ipsilateral and contralateral olecranon tips as graft options and to determine the influence of the osteotomy angle on fitment. Methods: Nineteen paired cadaveric elbow joints were investigated by 3-dimensional digital analysis of computed tomography DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) data. After construction of an ulnar coordinate system, the ipsilateral and contralateral olecranon tips were digitally harvested at 10° 20° 30° 40° 50° and 60° osteotomy angles. In an overlay analysis, we compared the shape match of the ipsilateral and contralateral grafts and the different angles. Results: The ipsilateral grafts showed an average mismatch of 1.8 mm (standard deviation, 1.38 mm), whereas the contralateral grafts had a significantly lower (P <.001) mean mismatch of 1.3 mm (standard deviation, 0.95 mm). The 50° osteotomy plane showed the best shape match in comparison with the native coronoid—in both the ipsilateral and contralateral grafts. Evaluation of the intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated at r = 0.944, showing high repeatability of the measurements. Conclusions: The contralateral olecranon tip graft showed significantly better shape matching to the native coronoid than the ipsilateral olecranon graft. Specifically, the contralateral graft more closely matched the biomechanically critical anteromedial coronoid facet. Finally, both the contralateral and ipsilateral olecranon grafts had better shape matching with the native coronoid when osteotomy was performed at higher angles, specifically 50°.
