Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute has become one of two systems in the Northeast to offer elbow joint replacements.
Until the advent of this procedure, there had been no way to treat proximal radioulnar joints when they became damaged or dislocated, according to a June 19 news release.
Building on the distal radioulnar joint prosthesis it had designed, prosthetics designer Aptis Medical created a PRUJ prosthesis for stabilization or replacement of this part of the elbow. Physicians at Lehigh Valley were instrumental in earning FDA approval for PRUJ arthroplasty, according to the release.
“The PRUJ prosthesis is especially suited for chronic dislocations and high-energy trauma to the elbow,” Paul Sibley, DO, chief of the division of orthopedic surgery and section of hand surgery with LVOI, said in the release. “It is also indicated for severe PRUJ elbow arthritis, or in the setting of a failed radial head replacement, since replacing only the radial head (the outside of the elbow) can cause problems such as pain from metal on cartilage.”
Dr. Sibley was a primary investigator in the clinical trial that proved the safety and effectiveness of the Aptis elbow prosthesis.
