The Use of Surface-Based Registration to Facilitate Total Elbow Arthroplasty in the Absence of Key Anatomical Landmarks

Successful placement of elbow arthroplasty components is dependent on the accurate identification of the flexion-extension (FE) axis, generally defined by the geometric centers of the capitellum and trochlea [1,2]. Brownhill et al. [3] showed that a visual estimation of the FE axis, a technique described by Morrey and Hotchkiss [1], can result in significant errors, even with preserved bone architecture.