Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40630505›Full record

ArticleOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2025

Epidemiology of Elbow Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Surgeries in Major and Minor League Baseball Pitchers: A Descriptive Study of 2281 Cases.

Fabien Meta, Keith Meister, Timothy B Griffith, Stan Conte, Peter N Chalmers, Sophia Mavrommatis, Sean C Clark, Elizabeth Hebert, Christopher L Camp

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Elbow Medial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Repair Versus Reconstruction Versus Augmented Reconstruction: Where Do We Stand?HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Fabien MetaDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Keith MeisterTMI Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery, Arlington, Texas, USA.
Timothy B GriffithPeachtree Orthopedics, Department of Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Stan ConteConte Injury Analytics, San Carlos, California, USA.
Peter N ChalmersDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Sophia MavrommatisDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Sean C ClarkDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Elizabeth HebertMajor League Baseball Commissioner's Office, New York, New York, USA.
Christopher L CampDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Injuries of the medial ulnar collateral ligament (MUCL) among baseball pitchers are increasing. Surgical treatment is evolving to optimize outcomes. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study's purpose was to highlight trends in MUCL repair and reconstruction in professional pitchers, describe outcomes such as return to any level of play (RTP), and identify factors impacting these outcomes. It was hypothesized that primary and revision MUCL surgery is increasing, with revision surgery requiring greater RTP time. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: The Major League Baseball (MLB) Health and Injury Tracking System database was used to procure data during the study period (2010-2023). All professional pitchers who underwent MUCL surgery during this period were included. RTP was defined as a pitcher returning to at least 1 professional game after index surgery. Return to the same level of play (RTSL) was defined as return to at least 1 game in the same league of play as before surgery. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the year 2020 was considered an outlier and omitted from time-trend analysis. Results: A total of 2281 pitchers who underwent MUCL surgery during the study period were included for analysis. The number of MUCL surgeries for pitchers increased yearly ( Conclusion: The incidence of MUCL surgery and revision surgery is increasing among professional pitchers. Overall, 79% of pitchers returned to any level of play at a mean of 470 days, while 74% returned to the same level of play at a mean of 499 days, but this varied based on level of play. This study will guide athlete expectations and surgeon decision-making.

Indexed as

baseballMUCL reconstructionMUCL repairpitchers

Identifiers

PMID40630505
PMCPMC12235100

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.