Abstract
Introduction: Different surgical options are available for the treatment of Tennis Elbow. One of the most simple is percutaneous lateral release.
Patients and methods: This prospective study consists of 24 patients; who had persistent symptoms of tennis elbow for an average of 21 months before being operated. All patients received conservative treatment before surgery; only those who did not improve were surgically treated. All of them had percutaneous lateral release of the common extensor tendon under local anaesthetic as a day case.
Results: Patients returned to work after an average of four weeks. Pain relief was achieved at an average of eight weeks. Patient satisfaction was 91.6%. The clinical results were evaluated according to pain relief, level of activity and patient satisfaction. The results were good in 22 patients, fair in 1 and poor in 1.
Conclusion: We believe that percutaneous release should be offered at an earlier stage for patients who failed conservative treatment. It is a simple, reliable and cost effective surgical procedure.
Theses abstracts were prepared by Professor Roger Lemaire. Correspondence should be addressed to EFORT Central Office, Freihofstrasse 22, CH-8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland.
