Hinged External Fixation Combined with Open Debridement for Post-traumatic Elbow Stiffness: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background Open debridement remains the gold standard for the clinical treatment of post-traumatic elbow stiffness. However, postoperative complications, such as re-contraction and heterotopic ossification of the elbow joint, are highly prevalent. Hinged external fixation appears to offer the potential for greater improvement of joint function and reduction of complications. The purpose of this article is to provide the latest evidence on the effectiveness and safety of hinged external fixation combined with open debridement for the treatment of post-traumatic elbow stiffness. Methods We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases until December 31, 2022. STATA 15.1 software was used to analyze all the data for this article. The quality of the included articles was evaluated using the Cochrane Reviewer’s Handbook 5.3. Results Finally, we selected 8 high-quality RCTs for our meta-analysis, which included 555 patients. The meta-analysis demonstrated that hinged external fixation combined with open debridement for post-traumatic elbow stiffness (treatment group) showed a significant increase in elbow flexion and extension mobility (WMD = 5.16, 95% CI 4.39–5.49, Z = 13.02, P = 0.000), Mayo elbow function scores (WMD = 5.25, 95% CI 4.33–6.17, Z = 11.15, P = 0.000), and Mayo excellent rate (RR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.14–1.37, Z = 4.87, P = 0.000). Additionally, there was a significant decrease in the complication rate (RR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.02–1.20, Z = 2.54, P = 0.011) compared to open debridement alone (control group). Furthermore, the results of the publication bias test showed no significant bias. Conclusions With the assistance of hinged external fixation, open debridement for post-traumatic elbow stiffness can lead to increased elbow mobility and a reduced complication rate. However, due to the small sample size, a multicenter randomized controlled trial with a larger sample size is still necessary to further confirm the effectiveness and safety of hinged external fixation combined with open debridement for post-traumatic elbow stiffness.