Elbow Heterotopic Ossifications Associated With Radial Head Prosthesis

Elbow heterotopic ossification (EHO) is described as the formation of ectopic bone in tissues not supposed to around elbow. The EHO physiopathology, yet not clarified, has been suggested to be a multifactorial process in which immune system, inflammatory response, CNS and tissue expressed proteins after severe trauma boost hyperactive metabolically bone with no periosteal layer. Consistent with that, EHO has been widely related to elbow trauma, including bone, ligament, muscle or joint; iatrogenic trauma, including epicondylectomy or elbow arthroplasty; neural injuries or burns. Clinical manifestations of EHO has been reported as limited range of motion (ROM), muscle, nerve or joint pain, stiffness and ankylosis all of them leading to upper extremity disfucntion. Prevalence of EHO can range from 3%-45% depending on degree of elbow injury. To our knowledge, prevalence of EHO among radial head fractures had not been assessed previously.