This course includes the recording of a live Instructional Course from the 2024 AOSSM Annual Meeting which took place in Denver, CO.
IC 106: Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries: Where Do We Stand in 2024?
Course Description:
Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries of the elbow are on the rise in overhead athletes of all levels of play. Many of these injuries can be managed non-operatively with rest and a return to throwing program with or without the addition of a biologic to aid in ligament healing. However, a subset necessitates surgical intervention. Surgical techniques have continued to evolve over the past several years and now include a primary UCL repair with internal brace, modified docking technique with added graft strands, and others. Furthermore, as more primary UCL repairs and reconstructions are performed, the number of revision UCL reconstructions has risen proportionally.
The purpose of this ICL is to review the most up-to-date strategies for treatment of UCL injuries including the use of biologics, UCL repair, primary UCL reconstruction, and revision UCL reconstruction. The panel will review several complete cases and will work through each case from diagnosis to management to return to play. The participants will be taken through each case and asked how they would proceed at varying steps in management. The faculty will provide pearls based on their experience in dealing with these difficult cases. We will also discuss our UCL registry that was funded by AOSSM and provide updates.
Learning Objectives:
At the completion of this course, the participant will be able to:
- Understand the current risk factors for sustaining an ulnar collateral ligament injury and the most effective prevention strategies.
- Understand the breadth of treatment options for ulnar collateral ligament injuries including non-operative management, biologics, repair, reconstruction, and revision.
- Develop a treatment algorithm for these injuries based on the best available evidence and understand technical pearls to obtain the best possible outcomes in these patients.
Faculty:
- Brandon J. Erickson, MD
- Eric N. Bowman, MD, MPH
- Peter N. Chalmers, MD
- Gregory L. Cvetanovich, MD
- Anthony A. Romeo, MD
- Mark S. Schickendantz, MD