Radiological Classification and Clinical Results of Arthroscopic and Open Surgical Release for Elbow Osteoarthritis: A Two-Center Comparative Case Series

Background: This study aimed to compare the image classification and clinical results in cases of debridement arthroplasty for elbow osteoarthritis and to compare between open and arthroscopic surgery performed at two independent facilities. Methods: Of the 51 patients who underwent surgery for elbow osteoarthritis performed by two doctors, 36 patients whom we were able to observe for more than 6 months were included. One doctor performed open surgery at one hospital, while another doctor performed arthroscopic surgery at the other hospital. There were 15 cases of open surgery (group O) and 21 cases of arthroscopic surgery (group A). All patients were examined for the range of motion, Hand20 score, and pain. The degree of osteoarthritis was examined using the Broberg and Morrey classification and Hastings and Rettig classification. The intra- and interobserver degree of agreement of the two classifications were analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficients. Results: The range of motion improved in both groups. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to incidence of ulnar symptoms, operation time, postoperative Hand20 score, postoperative pain, and degree of radiological osteoarthritis. The intra- and interobserver degree of agreement for radiological classifications were moderate to substantial and moderate, respectively. There was no correlation between the clinical results and radiological classifications. One patient in group A showed ectopic ossification but no serious complications or adverse events, such as nerve damage, were observed in either group. Conclusions: At the time of the final follow-up, nearly the same results were observed in both groups. No relationship was found between symptoms and radiological osteoarthritis classification scores. Level of Evidence Treatment study Level III