American Association for Hand Surgery

AAHS Home AAHS Home Past & Future Meetings Past & Future Meetings
Facebook    Twitter

Back to 2026 ePosters

Surgical Treatments of Post-Traumatic Elbow Stiffness in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Roya Khorram, MD1, Areeb Ahmad, BS1, Reza Vafadar, M.D2, Ronald Joseph Shamus, BA1; Amir R Kachooei, MD PhD1
(1)Rothman Orthopaedics Florida at AdventHealth, Orlando, FL, (2)Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Kerman, Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Introduction: Post-traumatic elbow stiffness (PTES) has been reported in up to 21% of pediatric patients following elbow fractures. It can profoundly compromise a child's function, independence, and quality of life. The primary surgical approaches include open and arthroscopic arthrolysis, both of which have demonstrated improvements in ROM and functional scores. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to compare the effectiveness, range of motion (ROM), and complication rates between open and arthroscopic release in pediatric patients with PTES.

Materials & Methods: The PRISMA guidelines were utilized to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on surgical treatment for PTES. Comprehensive research was conducted in PubMed, Web of Sciences, Medline, and Scopus from their inception to May 10th, 2025. A total of 3660 records were screened, of which 11 studies on the pediatric population with PTES, who treated using either open or arthroscopic arthrolysis, were included. Outcome variables were changes in the range of motion (ROM) and complication rate. Surgical techniques were grouped as arthroscopic, open arthrolysis, and open arthrolysis with external fixator (EF).

Results: ROM improved in patients with PTES after all surgical techniques. Our findings showed that open arthrolysis resulted in greater ROM compared to arthroscopic arthrolysis (open arthrolysis [SMD: 58, 95% CI: 46-69], arthroscopic arthrolysis: [SMD: 33, 95% CI: 23-42] (P<0.01)). Regarding the postoperative complications, there was no significant difference between open and arthroscopic arthrolysis (Open Arthrolysis: [Rate: 14%, 95% CI 9-21%] vs Arthroscopic Arthrolysis: [Rate: 6%, 95% CI 1%-23%].

Conclusions: Since the overall results of open and arthroscopic arthrolysis for PTES are comparable, the surgeon's expertise and the patient's condition are more important factors to consider when choosing a surgical technique over another.





Back to 2026 ePosters