The changing epidemiology of radial head replacement over a 22-year period in Scotland.

Background: Radial head replacement is used to confer joint stability in the management of acute unstable elbow fractures and dislocations associated with instability. We determined the annual incidence of radial head replacement over a 22-year period in a defined population.

Materials And Methods: Hospital episode statistics were collected prospectively at a national level. This database was retrospectively examined to determine the annual incidence of radial head replacement over the study period in adults over 16 years of age.

Results: A total of 615 radial head replacements were performed over the 22 years studied. The overall incidence was 0.65/100,000/year (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.50-0.71). The average adult population during the period was 4,270,593. There was a steady and statistically significant increase in the incidence of radial head replacement over the study period (  = 0.816;  < 0.0001). This incidence was significantly greater in women than men (odds ratio 1.46, 95% CI 1.25-1.72;  < 0.001). The peak incidence in men was 0.87/100,000 population/year in the fifth decade of life while in women the peak incidence was in the seventh decade of life (1.38/100,000 population/year).

Conclusion: The incidence of radial head replacement has increased steadily over 22 years. We hypothesise that this represents an evolving understanding of the role of radial head replacement in acute trauma in the context of emerging literature during the study period.