Arthroscopic treatment for chronic lateral epicondylitis

AbstractObjectiveTo report the clinical and functional results from arthroscopic release of the short radial extensor of the carpus (SREC) in patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis that was refractory to conservative treatment.MethodsOver the period from January 2012 to November 2013, 15 patients underwent arthroscopic treatment. The surgical technique used was the one described by Romeo and Cohen, based on anatomical studies on cadavers. The inclusion criteria were that the patients needed to present lateral epicondylitis and that conservative treatment (analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents, corticoid infiltration or physiotherapy) had failed over a period of more than six months. The patients were evaluated based on the elbow functional score of the Mayo Clinic, Nirschl's staging system and a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain.ResultsA total of 15 patients (9 men and 6 women) were included. The mean Mayo elbow functional score after the operation was 95 (ranging from 90 to 100). The pain VAS improved from a mean of 9.2 before the operation to 0.64 after the operation. On Nirschl's scale, the patients presented an improvement from a mean of 6.5 before the operation to approximately one. There were significant differences from before to after the surgery for the three functional scores used (p<0.01). No correlations were observed using the Spearman test between the results and age, gender, length of time with symptoms before the operation or injury mechanism (p>0.05).ConclusionArthroscopic treatment for lateral epicondylitis was shown to be a safe and effective therapeutic option when appropriately indicated and performed, in refractory cases of chronic lateral epicondylitis. It also allowed excellent viewing of the joint space for diagnosing and treating associated pathological conditions, with a minimally invasive procedure

Arthroscopic treatment of synovial osteochondromatosis of the elbow. Case report and literature review

AbstractSynovial osteochondromatosis is a benign proliferative disorder with metaplasia of the synovial membrane that affects the fibroblasts of the synovial joints, tendons and bursae. In literature, there are few descriptions of synovial osteochondromatosis of the elbow. The objective of this article was to report a case of synovial osteochondromatosis of the elbow in a patient aged 32, basketball athlete, in which surgical treatment was chosen because of the pain and functional limitation and stage of disease with multiple loose bodies. Patient 32, male, presented with pain and limitation of motion of the elbow. The range of passive motion was 100° of flexion and 30° extension. The range of active motion was 40–90°. Magnetic resonance observed many loose bodies mainly in the posterior compartment in the olecranon fossa plus some chondral lesions in the capitellum. The arthroscopic treatment was chosen with two anteriors portals (medial and lateral) and two posterior portals (standard posterior and posterolateral) for easing loose bodies and osteoplasty of the olecranon fossa. The visual analog scale pain was 9–3 and its arc of active motion was 110° to −20° of flexion and extension. On a scale of performance from Mayo Clinic patients was 65 points preoperatively to 90 postoperatively with 9 months follow-up and the patient was satisfied with the treatment outcome. Arthroscopic treatment of synovial osteochondromatosis of the elbow is an effective and safe therapeutic management with low morbidity and early return to activities

Direct repair of chronic distal biceps tendon tears

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To present the results from direct tendon repair using EndoButton and interference screws in patients with lesions of the distal biceps that had evolved over a period of more than 28 days. METHODS: Between January 2012 and November 2013, eleven patients (all male) with a torn distal biceps and a time interval between injury and surgery of more than 28 days were evaluated. The patients' mean age was 46 years and the most common mechanism of injury was eccentric loading with the elbow flexed and supinated. RESULTS: A subjective analysis on pain and function was conducted using a visual analog scale of pain (VAS) and the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), before and after surgery. The VAS showed a decrease of 5 points to 0.8 points on average. The MEPS improved from 69.3 points before the operation to 97.5 points afterwards. The mean flexion was 133.1° on the operated side, versus 134.3°. The mean extension was -2.5° and 0° (operated side versus non-operated). Supination was 88.2° versus 89.5° and pronation was 82.5° versus 84.1°, comparing the operated side versus the non-operated side. Flexion and supination strengths were evaluated with the aid of a dynamometer, and the mean flexion and supination strengths were found to be respectively 78.57% and 89.65% of the strength of the non-operated limb. CONCLUSION: Use of the technique of direct tendon repair using EndoButton and interference screws was shown to be a safe and effective alternative for repairing chronic lesions of the distal biceps

Osteoid osteoma of the distal clavicle

ABSTRACT The osteoid osteoma is a bone tumor that accounts for 10% of benign tumors. It was described in 1935 by Jaffe, as a tumor that affects the young adult population, with a predominance of males. This study aims to present a case of late diagnosis of a patient with osteoid osteoma of the distal clavicle region. Female patient, 44 years old, non-professional volleyball player, reported pain in the anterior and superior region of the shoulder girdle, specifically in the acromioclavicular joint, which worsened at night and had been treated for nine months as tendinitis of the rotator cuff and acromioclavicular joint arthritis. After confirming the diagnosis, the patient underwent open surgery with resection of the distal clavicle. At two years of follow-up, the patient presents without local pain. In the radiographic evaluation, coracoclavicular distance is preserved and there are no signs of recurrence. Tumors of the shoulder girdle are rare and are often diagnosed late. A high degree of suspicion for the diagnosis of tumors of the shoulder girdle is needed in order to avoid late diagnosis

Tratamento artroscópico da osteocondromatose sinovial do cotovelo. Relato de caso e revisão da literatura

resumo A osteocondromatose sinovial é uma patologia proliferativa com metaplasia benigna da membrana sinovial que afeta os fibroblastos das articulações sinoviais, dos tendões e das bursas. Na literatura, existem poucas descrições de osteocondromatose sinovial do cotovelo. O objetivo deste artigo foi relatar um caso de osteocondromatose sinovial de cotovelo em um paciente de 32 anos, sexo masculino, atleta de basquete, no qual se optou pelo tratamento cirúrgico devido ao quadro clínico com dor e limitação funcional e ao estágio da doença com múltiplos corpos livres. Paciente apresentou dor e limitação do arco de movimento do cotovelo. O arco de movimento passivo era de 100° de flexão e -30° de extensão. Na resso nância magnética observaram-se diversos corpos livres, principalmente no compartimento posterior na fossa do olecrano, além de algumas lesões condrais no capítulo. Optou-se pelo tratamento artroscópico com a feitura de dois portais anteriores (medial e lateral) e dois pos teriores (posterior padrão e posterolateral) para remoção dos corpos livres e osteoplastia da fossa olecraniana. A escala visual analógica da dor foi de 9 para 3 e seu arco de movimento ativo foi para 110° de flexão e -20° de extensão. Na escala de desempenho da Clínica Mayo o paciente foi de 65 pontos no pré-operatório para 90 no pós-operatório com nove meses de seguimento e satisfeito com o resultado. O tratamento artroscópico da osteocondromatose sinovial do cotovelo mostra-se com uma opcão terapêutica eficaz e segura no manejo terapêutico dessa patologia, apresenta baixa morbidade e retorno precoce às atividades