Paper 21: Functional Outcomes of Primary Ulnar Collateral Ligament Repair with Internal Bracing in Athletes

OBJECTIVES: The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is the primary restraint to valgus stress in the elbow. Injury to this ligament can occur in the setting of acute trauma as well as chronic overuse as seen in baseball players and other overhead athletes. Injury to the UCL continues to be a major source of morbidity in overhead-throwing athletes, with the incidence of UCL tears increasing dramatically over the past 15 years. UCL reconstruction using palmaris longus or hamstring autograft (also known as Tommy John surgery) has been considered the gold standard for the surgical treatment of symptomatic UCL injuries in overhead athletes for decades. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in UCL repair. In 2016, Dugas et al described the novel use of a collagen-dipped internal brace to augment UCL repair with encouraging biomechanical results from a cadaveric study. To date, only two studies have reported outcomes for this novel approach to UCL repair with internal brace (IB) augmentation, both with encouraging results. It is thought that the main advantages of UCL repair with IB augmentation compared to UCL reconstruction are comparable return to sport rates with a more rapid postoperative recovery, as well as restoration of normal anatomy that eliminates the need for an autograft and the associated complications of graft harvesting. Given the paucity of data examining this new surgical approach, this study seeks to add clinical outcome data for UCL repair to the scientific literature. The goal of this project is to evaluate functional outcomes following primary ulnar collateral ligament repair using internal brace augmentation and to describe new advancements in the surgical technique for this procedure. METHODS: Approval was obtained from the Columbia University Irving Medical Center Institutional Review Board. A retrospective review of the electronic medical records of all consecutive patients who underwent medial UCL repair with internal brace augmentation between 2016 and 2022 was performed. All procedures were performed at a single tertiary institution and all patients were under the direct medical care of the senior author. Only patients with a focal UCL injury, such as a distal or proximal avulsion tear, were selected for UCL repair with internal brace augmentation. Evidence of chronic attritional disease, including calcification on MRI, or extensive ligamentous injury were contraindications to UCL repair. Additionally, only patients undergoing primary UCL repair with internal brace augmentation were included; those with prior UCL reconstructions or repairs were excluded as were patients with insufficient clinical follow-up data. Included in the chart review were patient demographics, level of sport, injury characteristics, preoperative imaging findings, operative data, and postoperative clinical outcomes including complications and reoperations. Patient reported outcomes were collected from the Pitch Registry, a national database maintained by Major League Baseball (MLB). Primary outcomes for this study include the ability to return to play (RTP) at the same previous level or higher, the time to return to competition, complications, and reoperations. RESULTS: A total of 56 patients were included in this study (mean age at surgery was 19.5 ± 4.5 years; 55 men and 1 woman). The majority were baseball players (n=52) of which 43 were pitchers, while the remaining athletes played football, wrestled, or competed in Jujitsu. Twenty-eight were high school athletes, 23 played at the collegiate level, 4 played recreationally, and 1 played professionally. Symptoms of UCL injury preceded surgery by an average of 7.5 ± 15.0 months. The UCL was partially torn in 39 patients and fully torn in the remaining 17 patients, and it was torn proximally in 18, distally in 37, and mid-substance in 1 patient. The mean preoperative Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) score was 61.5 ± 15.3, the mean preoperative American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score was 71.6 ± 14.9, and the mean preoperative Youth Throwing Score (YTS) was 40 ± 14. A concomitant arthroscopic osteophyte debridement and synovectomy was performed in 10 cases and a concomitant ulnar nerve transposition was performed in 4 cases. There were no intra-operative complications. The mean length of follow-up was 12.1 ± 7.1 months. Of the total cohort, 51 (91.0%) patients were able to return to play at an average of 7.8 ± 2.4 months. There were 4 reoperations (7.1%) including a single revision UCL reconstruction, 2 ulnar nerve transpositions, and 1 arthroscopic osteophyte debridement. CONCLUSIONS: Primary UCL repair with internal brace augmentation is a viable alternative to UCL reconstruction as supported by a rapid return to play and a low complication rate. There remains a paucity of data examining this encouraging and novel surgical approach. Additional data and analysis examining functional outcomes and optimal patient selection will be critical to address the rising epidemic of UCL injuries in young athletes.