FOR nearly forty years, ankylosed elbows have been reconstructed by arthroplastic procedures consisting of reshaping the articular ends and interposing a flap of fascia for a gliding surface. In 1908, I performed one of the first arthroplasties of the elbow using free fascia as the interposing membrane. With increased experience in the use of the method, which led to improvement in the operative technic and better judgment in the selection of cases, the results of arthroplasty of the elbow have come to be almost routinely satisfactory. The reconstruction of a joint by arthroplasty is not a simple procedure. A new . . .