Learning objectives
1.
Review the main surgical techniques in the treatment of elbow injuries.
2.
Describe the main complications related to surgical techniques.
3.
To review image findings and role of different imaging techniques in the postoperative elbow.
Background
This educational briefly describes elbow lesions suitable for surgical treatment,
the main surgical techniques utilized,
normal postoperative findings and imaging techniques used for the most common postoperative complications.
Surgical procedures of the elbow are less commonly performed than those for other major joints of the body.
More than 75% of elbow surgical procedures are performed in the context of not only tendon injuries,
primarily lateral epicondylitis.
Arthroscopy and arthroplasty account for less than 10% of all elbow surgeries.
Findings and procedure details
Tendinous injuries
a. Lateral epicondylitis
Surgical management of lateral epicondylitis is indicated in patients with persistent debilitating pain after at least 3–6 months of adequate conservative treatment.
Both open and arthroscopic debridement are effective options in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis.
Open procedures
Damaged tendinous tissue displaying macroscopic changes should be debrided.
Anothersurgical option is tendon repair with reinsertion at the lateral epicondyle with suture anchors or bone tunnels,
and microperforations of the epicondyle to promote healing.
Percutaneous procedures
Percutaneous treatment of lateral epicondylitis is...
Conclusion
Elbow surgery,
including arthroscopy,
is the least frequently performed joint surgery of all the major joints of the body.
Therefore,
postsurgical evaluation with imaging methods is an uncommon scenario faced in the daily work of most centers.
Most of the surgical procedures of the elbow are related to tendinous injuries,
primarily lateral epicondylitis.
Imaging methods,
such as multi-slice CT analysis in joint fractures,
have contributed considerably to our knowledge of elbow injuries,
to the planning of surgical procedures,
and to the postoperative assessment of patients....
Personal information
1Luis Cerezal,
MD,
PhD
2Alexeys Pérez
3Alexis Studer,
MD,
PhD
4Alfredo Villalba,
MD
5Luis Pérez Carro,
MD,
PhD
5Antonio Cruz,
MD
1Department of Radiology,
Diagnóstico Médico Cantabria,
Santander,
39002 Cantabria,
Spain (L.C)
2Iberorad,
Barcelona,
Spain
3Microsurgery Unit,
FREMAP Hospital,
Majadahonda (Madrid),
Spain (A.S.)
4Department of Arthroscopic Surgery,
Hospital Mutua Montañesa,
Santander,
Spain (A.V.
and A.C.)
5Orthopedic Surgery Department,
Clinica Mompia,
Santander,
Spain (L.PC.)
No authors have any financial relationships to disclose.
The authors did not receive any funding support.
Corresponding author:
Luis Cerezal
Diagnóstico Médico...
References
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Lateral elbow pain.
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Barco R eds.
Essentials in elbow surgery.
Pa: Springer-Verlag,
London; 2014:17-27.
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Issa K,
Gilbert BT,
et al.
A systematic review of tennis elbow surgery: open versus arthroscopic versus percutaneous release of the common extensor origin.
Arthroscopy 2017;33(6):1260-1268.
3. Bazzocchi A,
Gómez MPA,
Bartoloni A,
Guglielmi G.
Emergency and trauma of the elbow.
Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2017;21(3):257-281.
4. MacMahon PJ,
Murphy DT,
Zoga AC,
Kavanagh EC.
Postoperative imaging of the elbow,
wrist,...