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Ultrasound-guided percutaneous bone drilling for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis
Sang Ho Yoo1, Jang Gyu Cha2, Bo Ra Lee3
1Department of Orthopaedics, Yoo-Sang-Ho Orthopaedic Clinic, 176, Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06125, Korea.
Objective:
To determine the clinical efficacy of sonographically-guided percutaneous bone drilling of the lateral epicondyle (LE) for the treatment of patients with LE.
Methods:
We included 24 patients with LE who reported pain in this study. All patients underwent sonographically-guided percutaneous bone drilling of the lateral epicondyle. Follow-up sonography and physical examinations were performed 1, 3 and 6 months after the procedure. The outcome measures included sonographic findings, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, maximum voluntary grip strength (MVGS) and patient-related tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE) score.
Results:
None of the patients had immediate complications during the procedure. The area of the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) tears decreased significantly at 1 month and declined gradually over the remaining 5 months of the study (p < 0.001). The mean pain VAS score was significantly lower at 6 months than preoperatively (respectively; p < 0.001). The mean MVGS increased significantly between pretreatment and 6 months post-treatment (p < 0.001), whereas the PRTEE score decreased significantly during the same period (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Sonographically-guided percutaneous drilling is a quick and safe treatment option for LE that can be performed in an outpatient setting.
Key Points:
• Percutaneous drilling of the lateral condyle is effective for the treatment of LE. • The area of ECRB tears can be measured by US-guided saline injection. • US-guided percutaneous drilling is a quick and safe treatment option for LE.
