Surgical technique of debridement arthroplasty of the elbow through medial/trans-flexor approach.

Debridement arthroplasty of the elbow arthritis provides good mobility and relief of pain. The operative management of elbow arthritis requires a thorough physical examination, sufficient imaging, preoperative planning, and meticulous surgical technique. The principle of the joint debridement is to remove the osteophytes, which restrict elbow motion, and to release the contracted capsule to improve joint motion and to decrease pain. Open debridement of elbow arthritis has been reported through medial, lateral, and posterior (transolecranon fossa) approaches. In this article, we describe our technique of open debridement arthroplasty of the elbow through medial/trans-flexor approach in detail.