Radiofrequency Microtenotomy for Elbow Epicondylitis: Mid-Term Results

Abstract

To evaluate the safety and long-term effectiveness of microtenotomy using a radiofrequency (RF) probe to treat chronic tendinosis of the elbow. This was a prospective, nonrandomized, single-center clinical study. Eighty consecutive patients with tendinosis of the elbow were enrolled. All patients had failed conservative treatment for six months. RF-based microtenotomy was performed using the TOPAZ microdebrider device (Arthrocare, Sunnyvale, CA). Patients were followed annually for up to nine years postoperatively. Pain status was documented using a visual analog scale self-reported measure. Sixty-nine patients were treated for lateral epicondylitis and 11 for medial epicondylitis. The duration of follow-up evaluation ranged from 6 months to 9 years (mean = 2.5 years). Ninety-one percent of the patients reported a successful outcome. Within the lateral epicondylitis group, the postoperative VAS improved to 1.3 from 6.9, which demonstrated an 87% improvement (p ≤ 0.01). For the medial epicondylitis patients, the postoperative VAS improved to 1.3 from 6.1, which demonstrated 88% improvement (p ≤ 0.01). There were no complications in the study. RF-based microtenotomy is a safe and effective procedure for elbow epicondylitis. The results are durable with successful outcomes observed at nine years following surgery.