Description
Introduction. Patients with Symptomatic Minor Instability of the Lateral Elbow (SMILE) are affected by lateral elbow pain, degeneration of the lateral collateral ligament complex, and a high incidence of intra-articular pathological findings. This study aims to correlate the length of pain symptoms and the presence of intra-articular findings.
Methods and Material. 61 SMILE patients were enrolled. Nine radiological findings were collected from Computed Tomography arthrography (CTa): chondropathy of the central zone of the radial head, of the radial head facet for the proximal radio-ulnar joint, of the central zone of the capitellum, of the superior-anterior and lateral components of the capitellum, of the lateral trochlear ridge, synovitis, joint asymmetry, laxity of the annular ligament, lesion of the articular capsule with fluid extravasation; correlation with elbow pain was analyzed with different statistical methods.
Results. Patients suffering from lateral elbow pain for more than one year have higher chances of having intra-articular findings such as chondropathy of the superior-anterior and lateral components of the capitellum and mismatch between capitellum and radial head (FIG 1).
Conclusions. Patients suffering from lateral elbow pain for more than one year have higher chances of presenting intra-articular pathology at CTa.
