Lateral compartment cartilage changes and lateral elbow pain.
The aim of our study is to document the arthroscopic findings in resistant lateral elbow pain. We have reviewed the findings in a consecutive series of 117 elbow arthroscopies performed on patients with lateral elbow pain resistant to conservative treatment. We found established degenerative changes involving articular cartilage in 68 patients (59%). In 60 of these 68 patients (88%) the degenerative changes were confined to the lateral compartment and contrasted with a normal appearance of the articular cartilage of the medial compartment. Primary lateral compartment arthritis is more common than previously thought, it mostly affects a young population and could easily be misdiagnosed as lateral epicondylitis.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, United Kingdom. asrajeev18@gmail.com
Aysha
A
Rajeev
Joseph
J
Pooley
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001182:Arthroscopy; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D013716:Tennis Elbow / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*