Is Kaplan's Approach Bbetter Than Kocher's Approach in Septic Arthritis of the Elbow? - A Unique Case Report.

Introduction: septic arthritis of the elbow is a rare clinical entity, and its occurrence in a seropositive inflammatory joint disease like Rheumatoid Arthritis is even more unusual. However, it is a devastating surgical emergency that can result in irreversible joint destruction, functional limitations, and significant mortality. Each rheumatoid arthritis case presenting with a flare-up joint should be assessed individually to rule out septic arthritis of the joint. Arthrotomy and lavage of the joint through Kaplan's approach can be considered as an alternate to Kocher's approach in terms of greater visibility of the joint cavity, easy approach, no risk of injury to the lateral ulnar collateral ligament (LUCL) and limiting the chances of posterolateral rotatory instability (PLRI) of the elbow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]