Osteoporosis due to the rheumatoid arthritis and the glucocorticoid therapy predisposes patients to insufficiency fractures. Insufficiency fractures or periprosthetic fractures of the lower extremity in the rheumatoid arthritis have been frequently reported. But those of the upper extremity were rarely reported. We report three cases of the insufficiency fracture of the olecranon after total elbow replacement arthroplasty in patients with the rheumatoid arthritis. All the cases were successfully treated by immobilization for 3 weeks. At the last follow-up, there were no functional impairments or residual symptoms caused by the fractures.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Elbow* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Stress* ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Lower Extremity ; Olecranon Process* ; Osteoporosis ; Periprosthetic Fractures ; Upper Extremity