Aetiology and treatment of a previously denervated "tennis" elbow

The aetiology of the "tennis" elbow is still disputed and treated by numerous different operations. We report 24 patients with treatment-resistant, previously denervated epicondylitis. The revision consisted of complete decompression of the radial nerve from the lateral intermuscular septum to beyond the arcade of Frohse in 24 patients using an anterolateral access. There was a mean period of 31 (10) months between the onset of the condition and the revision. Compared with the preoperative findings, there were improvements in 19 of the 24 patients, with four patients remaining unchanged, and one patient deteriorating. If the condition has been resistant to treatment for some time, complete decompression of the radial nerve is an effective option with few complications compared with further operation on the epicondyle.