Elbow arthroplasty is still one of the less frequently performed joint replacement procedures. It is technically demanding, and numerous complications are possible. It is therefore indicated mainly in severely handicapped patients in whom all other alternatives have been attempted. A review of the literature relating to arthroplasties monitored over follow-up periods of more than 5 years shows that the results are now quite acceptable. They are far better than those seen following most resection arthroplasties. The results achieved with our GSB III prosthesis are compared with those obtained with other prosthetic devices in current use. It appears that in a large proportion of cases our prosthesis allows a good range of painfree motion, which we attribute in part to the operative approach used. The complication rate appears to be relatively low.