Prevention of radial head instability by augmentation of annular ligament with local triceps tendon sheath autograft in radial head Fixation or Replacement: A case series

Abstract

During radial head plating or replacement it has been observed that the end to end repair of annular ligament was impossible especially when torn. It may cause radial head instability later on. Use of Bell Tawse technique and its modification has been elaborated in literature for the management of chronic radial head instability using Triceps tendon autograft, but its application for prevention of instability in the first place has not been elaborated. This case series will explain prevention of instability of radial head in those cases.During radial head plating or replacement, torn or resected annular ligament was augmented with a strip of autologous triceps tendon sheath graft. During subsequent follow-ups no patient had any instability in the elbow. The mean of Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS) was 90 in 6 month follow-up.Radial head instability can be prevented in first place by simply augmenting annular ligament with triceps tendon sheath graft.