The use of eponyms for surgical approaches and fractures in elbow surgery: Accuracy and reliability pre- And post-training

The use of eponymous terms in orthopedic trauma surgery is common. In an assessment pre-training versus post-training at an AO Advanced Elbow Trauma Course, we aimed to report on (1) the accuracy and (2) reliability of 10 common eponymous terms used for surgical approaches and fractures in elbow surgery. Before training, eponyms were described correctly in 38% of questions versus 47% after training. The percentage of correct answers only improved significantly in one question (P<0.005). A generalized kappa of 0.37 before training versus 0.31 after training represents an overall fair reliability of the eponymous terms. In conclusion, the accuracy and reliability of eponymous terms used in elbow surgery is disappointing. Moreover, this type of standardized training format does not seem to improve the knowledge of eponymous terms of experienced trauma- and orthopedic surgeons. Therefore, we suggest considering descriptive terms or standardized fracture classifications instead of eponymous terms.