Arthroscopic treatment of lateral epicondylitis: a prospective study on 14 cases

Lateral epicondylitis of the elbow is a relatively common pathology and would involve 1-3% of the overall population. Lack of consensus on surgical techniques reflects the difficulty of understanding and treating this disease. Our prospective study reports the results of its arthroscopic treatment on 14 patients operated on between 2009 and 2012. The mean follow-up was 7.15 months. All patients underwent a well conducted medical treatment for an average of 32.5 months. The operation was carried out under regional anesthesia in an outpatient. The technique included a time of joint exploration, joint capsulotomy and a transverse division of the pathological tendon of extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) and extensor digitorum communis (EDC). The value on the visual analogic scale (VAS) at rest and during exercise increased from 2.85 to 0.43 and from 7.71 to 2.43, respectively, then remained stable over time. Professional activity was resumed on average at 9.1 weeks. Neither intraoperative nor postoperative complications were found. No laxity was observed. The Mayo Clinic and DASH scores were significantly improved from 52.14 to 92.5 and from 54.11 to 9.7, respectively. Overall, we observed 11 very good and three good results. Although our prospective series has a few patients and limited follow-up, our results are better or similar than those reported in the literature on pain relief and functional recovery. In contrast, the average recovery of professional activity was longer. Elbow arthroscopy, less invasive than open procedures, and allowing further joint exploration, seems an excellent alternative technique in this indication.