title: Are "knife and fork" good enough for day case surgery of resistant tennis elbow?
abstract: This observational retrospective study was performed on 22 consecutive patients treated surgically in a day surgery unit for resistant tennis elbow to ascertain the effectiveness of the "knife and fork" procedure. All patients had an unfavourable response to nonsurgical treatment lasting at least six months. A simple and inexpensive "knife and fork" technique yielded excellent results in 90.5% of patients and a high percentage (95.2%) of satisfied patients at an average follow-up of two years. There were no fair or poor results and no complications. We conclude that the "knife and fork" technique is a simple and dependable day case procedure. In the present National Health Service (NHS) era of tariff and "payment by results", this approach is more cost effective than an arthroscopic alternative.
authors.affiliation: Yeovil Shoulder and Elbow Service, Department of Trauma, Yeovil District Hospital, Higher Kingston, Yeovil, BA21 4AT, UK. amitabhdwyer@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Amitabh J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Dwyer
authors.forename: Raja
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Govindaswamy
authors.forename: Tariq
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elbouni
authors.forename: Andrew F W
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Chambler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013710:Tendons / Q000601:surgery*; D013716:Tennis Elbow / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome