Surgical Principles Restoration of function to a fibrously ankylosed elbow by removal of soft tissue adhesions: arthrolysis in the strict sense. In some patients, a so-called “extended arthrolysis” involving the following supplemental measures may be necessary: smoothing of bony prominences, enucleation of bony fragments from the joint capsule or collateral ligaments, removal of joint mice, resection of a deformed radial head, and osteoplastic modelling of articular surfaces, the coronoid process, the coronoid fossa, olecranon fossa, and/or the trochlear notch.