No todo dolor de codo es epicondilitis / Not every elbow pain is epicondylitis

Pain located in the lateral aspect of the elbow is a common cause of consultation in the trauma consultation. The most common cause is "lateral epicondylitis," however there are several differential diagnoses that may require different management. There is a case of radial tunnel syndrome secondary to extrinsic compression, with an emphasis on its diagnosis and surgical technique.

Neuropatía por atrapamiento del nervio interóseo posterior en un adulto con displasia ósea / Entrapment neuropathy of the posterior interosseous nerve in an adult with bone displasia

Resumen: La neuropatía por atrapamiento del nervio Interóseo Posterior, rama motora del nervio radial, puede ser causada por la compresión estructural, mecánica, o dinámica en lugares específicos que conducen a la lesión del nervio. La proximidad del nervio interóseo posterior a la cabeza del radio lo hace susceptible a lesiones por eventos traumáticos agudos o crónicos, como manifestación tardía secundaria a luxación de la cabeza del radio. Esta última es una entidad poco frecuente en el adulto y siempre plantea diversos diagnósticos diferenciales referidos a su origen y eventual asociación con Acondroplasia. La patología compresiva del nervio Interóseo Posterior puede generar dos síndromes diferentes: Síndrome del nervio interóseo posterior o Síndrome del túnel radial. En este artículo se describe el caso de un adulto con una neuropatía por atrapamiento del nervio Interóseo Posterior, con subluxación unilateral de cabeza del radio y antecedentes personales de Displasia Ósea. A través del análisis de los estudios de electrodiagnóstico e imagenología, se plantean los diagnósticos diferenciales, etiológicos y diagnóstico positivo de Síndrome del nervio interóseo posterior. Así como su posibilidad de tratamiento conservador y quirúrgico.

Abstract: Entrapment neuropathy of the posterior interosseous nerve, motor branch of the radial nerve can be caused by structural, mechanical, or dynamic compression in specific locations that lead to nerve injury. The proximity of the posterior interosseous nerve to the radial head makes it susceptible to injury from acute or chronic traumatic events, such as late manifestation secondary to dislocation of the radial head. The latter is a rare entity in adults and always raises several differential diagnoses related to their origin and possible association with Achondroplasia. The compressive pathology of the posterior interosseous nerve can generate two different syndromes: posterior interosseous nerve syndrome or radial tunnel syndrome. This article describes the case of an adult with a posterior interosseous nerve entrapment neuropathy with unilateral radial head dislocation and personal history of Bone Dysplasia. Through analysis of electrodiagnostic and imaging studies, differential diagnoses, etiological and positive diagnosis of posterior interosseous nerve syndrome arise. As well as the possibility of conservative and surgical treatment.

Differential Diagnosis Using Two Electrophysiological Testing Methods for Radial Tunnel Syndrome / 昆明医科大学学报

Objective To compare the traditional electrophysiological testing with modified methods for differential diagnosis of Radial Tunnel Syndrome (RTS).Methods A total of 87 selected patients were initially diagnosed as Lateral Epicondylitis (LE) or Tennis Elbow (TE) by doctors from the Outpatient Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation.Medical history was asked.Patients received physical examination and examinations for the sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) of superficial radial nerve,the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) of radial nerve and needle electromyography (EMG) to record the muscle Motor Unit Action Potentials (MUAPs).Then,the modified methods for CMAP of radial nerve were conducted on the forearm in the neutral,pronation and supination positions.Three values of CMAP latency were compared.RTS was diagnosed when the difference value ≥0.3 ms.The x 2 test was used to compare the positive detectable rates of the two methods for the RTS diagnosis.Results Thirteen out of 87 patients were diagnosed as RTS,among which three had interosseous nerve lesion and one had superficial radial nerve lesion.The traditional EMG failed to diagnose the remaining 9 RTS cases.These patients were finally diagnosed due to their latency difference of radial nerve CMAP ≥0.3ms when their forearms were examined in three positions.Conclusion The modified electrophysiology method shows a higher positive rate for the diagnosis of RTS.(P＜0.05).

Síndrome del tunel radial. Hallazgos y tratamiento en 17 pacientes / Radial tunnel syndrome. Findings and treatment in 17 patients

Introducción: El síndrome del túnel radial es un cuadro que se debe al atrapamiento intermitente del nervio interóseo posterior entre la masa superficial y profunda del músculo supinador corto y estructuras adyacentes, como vasos y fascias. El propósito de este trabajo fue identificar las estructuras anatómicas que producían la eventual compresión, establecer y comunicar las diferencias en cuanto a la percepción subjetiva del dolor antes de la liberación del nervio interóseo posterior en el túnel radial y después de ella. Materiales y Métodos: Entre 2009 y 2014, 17 pacientes fueron sometidos a cirugía mediante liberación del nervio interóseo posterior. Se utilizó la vía de abordaje entre el primer radial externo y el supinador largo. Se evaluó a los pacientes mediante la escala analógica visual para intensidad del dolor antes de la cirugía y a las 6 semanas, y según los criterios funcionales de Roles y Maudsley. Resultados: Las causas de compresión del nervio interóseo posterior fueron: banda fibrosa (arcada de Frõhse) (7 casos), vasos recurrentes (4 casos), compresión por la masa del fascículo superficial del supinador corto (2 casos) y compresión por tendón del segundo radial externo (4 casos). Los resultados fueron excelentes (4 pacientes), buenos (10 pacientes) y regulares (3 pacientes). Los pacientes atendidos a través de la Aseguradora de Riesgos de Trabajo obtuvieron peores resultados que aquellos fuera de este sistema. Conclusiones: El síndrome del túnel radial es una patología que debe ser tenida en cuenta ante un cuadro de epicondilalgia lateral resistente al tratamiento; tiene una incidencia marcada en pacientes con conflicto laboral, lo que puede sesgar el resultado terapéutico final. Nivel de evidencia: IV.

Introduction: Radial tunnel syndrome is a condition secondary to the intermittent entrapment of the posterior interosseous nerve between superficial and deep mass of short supinator adjacent structures, such as vessels and fascias. The purpose of this study was to identify the anatomical structures that produce the eventual compression, to establish and communicate the differences in the subjective pain perception before and after the release of the posterior interosseous nerve in the radial tunnel. Methods: Between 2009 and 2014, 17 patients underwent surgical treatment by posterior interosseous nerve release. We used the approach between the first external radial and brachioradialis. Patients were assessed by visual analogue scale for pain intensity before surgery and at week 6, and according to the Roles and Maudsley functional criteria. Results: The causes of posterior interosseous nerve compression were fibrous band of short supinator (arcade of Frohse) (7 cases), recurrent vessels (4 cases), compression by the mass of the superficial portion of the short supinator muscle (2 cases) and secondary compression by extensor carpi radialis brevis tendon (4 cases). Results were excellent (4 patients), good (10 patients) and fair (3 patients). Patients treated through the Labor Risk Insurance had worse outcomes than those who were not covered by this system. Conclusions: Radial tunnel syndrome is a condition that must be taken into account when there is refractory lateral epicondylalgia. This disease has a marked effect in patients with labor conflict, which may bias the outcome of treatment. Level of evidence: IV.

Morphology of Brachialis Muscle: Variations and Clinical Significance.

Background: Though rare but variations of brachialis muscle insertion have been reported. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 115 upper limbs over a period of 4 years. The dissection of arm and forearm was done carefully to preserve all minute details ,observing the morphology of insertion pattern and nerve supply. Observation: Out of 115 specimens, 2 specimens showed insertion of brachialis into bicipital aponeuroses. Accessory slips were seen in 4 specimens which are mixed with main fibers at insertion point. Rarest of all was insertion of an accessory brachialis muscle on radial tuberosity in 2 specimens. The muscle originated from lateral border of shaft of humerus and shared a few fibers with main Brachialis muscle. The muscle was inserted into radius just below the radial tuberosity. Conclusion: The identification of an inter-nervous plane may allow for improvement in the current anterior and anterolateral surgical approaches to the humerus. This could be one of a possible etiology of Radial tunnel syndrome.

Radial Tunnel Syndrome: Case Report

Radial tunnel syndrome is a rare disorder and it's symptoms sometimes so closely overlap those lateral epicondylitis, causing difficulties to differentiate. A 39-year-old man was presented who had a 2.5-year history of right elbow and forearm pain which was unseccesfully treated as 'tennis elbow'. Clinically, severe tender point over the forearm was relieved after a local anesthetic injection. Axial STIR(short tau inversion recovery) image showed high signal intensity at the origin of the extensor carpi radialis brevis, which was so minimal that it was not comparable to clinical symptoms. But radial nerve was revealed normal. So we decided that the symptoms were caused not by lateral epicondylitis but rather by radial tunnel sybdrome and an operation was performed. In the operative field, the most proximal part of the superficial head of the supinator muscle was tendinous and formed a fibrous arch, which was resected. After the operation, the right arm pain was relieved. This is a case diagnosed as lateral epicondylitis which showed no improvement under conservative treatment, but improved after a local anesthetic injection on the tender point. When a case with no correlations between lateral epicondylitis degree in MRI and clinical symptoms, one should take the possibility of radial tunnel syndrome into consideration.