Image-guided versus palpation-guided injections for the treatment of chronic lateral epicondylopathy: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Abstract Background There have been several studies published comparing the ultrasound-guided with the “blind” infiltrations in the shoulder’s area. On the contrary, there is only very limited data regarding the necessity of ultrasound guidance in lateral epicondylitis. Materials and Methods A prospective, randomized, blinded at initial and follow-up evaluation, comparative clinical trial was conducted, involving 44 patients with a history of chronic persistent epicondylopathy. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups of 22 people each. Group A patients underwent three ultrasound-guided betamethazone injections, while group B included those who underwent three “blind” injections, centered at the palpable point of maximum pain. The evaluation was done before and after (4 and 12 weeks) the injections using the Visual Analogue Scale for pain (VAS, 0–10) and the Roles & Maudsley score. Results There was not any significant statistical difference between the two groups as for mean VAS at 4 weeks (p = 0.150, t-test) and mean VAS at 12 weeks (p = 0.286, t-test). Furthermore, the final success rate, as measured by the Roles & Maudsley score, was slightly superior in group B (67 % of the patients with excellent or good results) when compared with group A (46 % of the patients), but without any statistical difference (p = 0.161, chi-square). Conclusion Our trial proved that an ultrasound-guided injection is not superior than a palpation-guided injection of corticosteroids in the treatment of lateral epicondylopathy.