Outcomes After Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Graft Repair in Professional Baseball Pitchers With Minimum 2-Year Follow-up

Matthew J Steffes; Braiden M Heaps; Neal S ElAttrache; William Tyler Haselman

doi:10.1177/23259671221092728

Outcomes After Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Graft Repair in Professional Baseball Pitchers With Minimum 2-Year Follow-up

Orthop J Sports Med. 2022 May 6;10(5):23259671221092728. doi: 10.1177/23259671221092728. eCollection 2022 May.

Authors

Matthew J Steffes¹, Braiden M Heaps¹, Neal S ElAttrache¹, William Tyler Haselman¹

Affiliation

¹ Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Abstract

Background: Rerupture of the reconstructed ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is becoming more frequent at the professional level of baseball. However, there is no literature describing outcomes after UCL graft repair.

Purpose: To evaluate rerupture rate, return to play, performance upon return, and patient-reported outcomes after a novel UCL graft repair technique.

Study design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods: All included patients underwent UCL graft repair after a previous UCL reconstruction, pitched in at least 1 professional baseball game before repair, and were at least 2 years postprocedure within the same 10-year time period. The authors evaluated patient characteristics and performance metrics, including wins, losses, win percentage, earned run average, innings pitched, walks and hits per inning pitched, for the 2 seasons before and after the procedure. Patients were contacted to assess UCL rerupture, timing of return to sport, current level of competition, Conway score, and Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) Shoulder and Elbow Score.

Results: Six players met the inclusion criteria. All had proximal UCL graft ruptures and underwent flexor-pronator tendon repair in combination with graft repair. At a mean (±SD) follow-up of 56.7 ± 37.8 months, no reruptures were encountered, and the mean KJOC score was 87.9 ± 14.6. Of the 6 pitchers who underwent UCL graft repair, 4 (67%) returned to professional pitching at a mean of 17 ± 6 months. Three of the 6 (50%) achieved an excellent Conway score, signifying a return to prior level of sport. There was no significant difference in demographic or preoperative pitching performance metrics between players who did and did not return to pitching. For those players who returned to professional pitching, there was no significant difference between preprocedure and postprocedure performance statistics.

Conclusion: Repair of the UCL graft appears to yield comparable rates of return to play and performance with revision UCL reconstruction. This technique serves as a viable alternative for proximal avulsion ruptures of the UCL graft.

Keywords: Tommy John surgery; pitching; return to play; ulnar collateral ligament.