title: Abnormal microvascular responses in a lateral epicondylitis.
abstract: The laser Doppler flowmeter, an instrument highly sensitive to changes in blood flow velocity in the dermal microvascular bed, was used to examine a sympathetic vasomotor response (SVR) in 40 patients with lateral epicondylitis. There was a significant association between the absence of a normal SVR in the skin overlying the affected enthesis compared with the unaffected contralateral epicondyle (P < 0.01). These results suggest that local dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system may be associated with the pathogenesis of anatomically discrete pain in the enthesopathy of epicondylitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Southampton University Hospital.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papadopolous
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mani
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Cawley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D013716:Tennis Elbow / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000502:physiology; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000502:physiology