United States Trends in Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction: A retrospective Review of a Large Private-Payer Database from 2007 to 2011

OBJECTIVES: Purpose: Overuse injuries to the elbow in the throwing athlete are common. Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR), commonly known as Tommy John surgery, is performed on both recreational and high-level athletes. There is no current literature regarding the incidence and demographic distribution of this surgical procedure in relation to age, location within the Unites States (U.S.), and gender. The purpose of this study is to determine the current demographic distribution of UCLR within the U.S. METHODS: Methods: A retrospective analysis of private payer database using the PearlDiver Supercomputer (Warsaw, IN) was performed to identify UCLR procedures performed between the years of 2007-2011. The Current Procedural Code (CPT) 24346 (reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow with the use of a tendinous graft) was used. Statistical analysis was performed as appropriate using STATA (Version 12.1; Statacorp; College Station, TX, USA). RESULTS: Results: Between 2007-2011, 790 patients underwent UCLR. The overall average annual incidence was 2.16+/- 0.27 per 100,000 patients, but was 31.9 +/-3.9 for patients aged 15-19. The average annual growth was 5.72%. There were 695 males and 95 females. Fifteen to 19 year olds accounted for significantly more procedures than any other age group 56.8% (p<0.001), followed by 20 to 24 year olds 23.4%. The incidence of UCLR in the 15-19 year old group increased at an average rate of 6% per year (incidence rate ratio = 1.06, p=0.025). The south region performed significantly more UCLR than any other region p<0.001. The number of procedures significantly increased over time (p=0.039). CONCLUSION: Conclusion: UCLR was performed significantly more in patients aged 15-19 than any other age group. The average annual incidence of UCLR per 100,000 people for patients aged 15-19 is 31.9. The number of UCLR is increasing over time. Further work should address risk-reduction efforts in this at-risk population.