Multimodal ultrasound assessment of the injection therapy in lateral epicondylitis: a retrospective observational study

Abstract Background At present, there is a dearth of objective methodologies for assessing the effectiveness of treatments for Lateral Epicondylitis (LE). This study examined 73 patients suffering from tennis elbow using a multimodal ultrasound approach and investigated the correlation between perti...

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Main Authors: Chengfeng Chu, Mingmin Xu, Jichao Hu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-01-01
Series:BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08283-x
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author Chengfeng Chu
Mingmin Xu
Jichao Hu
author_facet Chengfeng Chu
Mingmin Xu
Jichao Hu
author_sort Chengfeng Chu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background At present, there is a dearth of objective methodologies for assessing the effectiveness of treatments for Lateral Epicondylitis (LE). This study examined 73 patients suffering from tennis elbow using a multimodal ultrasound approach and investigated the correlation between pertinent indicators and clinical scores. Methods 73 patients diagnosed with unilateral tennis elbow by interventional ultrasound at Zhejiang Rongjun Hospital were included in the study. Ultrasound data of the extensor tendon, as well as VAS (Visual Analog Scale) and MEPS (Mayo Elbow Performance Score) for the affected elbow, were collected before and after a two-week treatment period. The study aimed to compare the alterations in gray-scale ultrasound features, hemodynamic parameters, and elastography scores pre- and post-treatment, and to analyze the correlation between the changes in ultrasound parameters and pain scores. Results Following treatment, the effective group exhibited a reduction in both the blood flow grade and elastic score of the extensor tendon. Additionally, the extensor tendon thickness in the effective group diminished to a greater extent than in the ineffective group. The effective group also experienced a higher rate of decrease in blood flow grade and a more pronounced increase in Resistive Index (RI) compared to the ineffective group. The reduction in tendon thickness, the increase in RI, and the improvement in elastic score were all positively correlated with the reduction in VAS scores. Notably, the increase in RI demonstrated the strongest correlation with the decrease in VAS scores. Conclusions Multimodal ultrasound plays a significant role in the clinical assessment of treatment outcomes for Lateral Epicondylitis.
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spelling doaj-art-eafcd3b66c9a4a71a824da96c92a93dc2025-01-19T12:04:27ZengBMCBMC Musculoskeletal Disorders1471-24742025-01-012611910.1186/s12891-025-08283-xMultimodal ultrasound assessment of the injection therapy in lateral epicondylitis: a retrospective observational studyChengfeng Chu0Mingmin Xu1Jichao Hu2Ultrasound Intervention Department, Zhejiang Rongjun HospitalUltrasound Intervention Department, Zhejiang Rongjun HospitalOrthopedics Department of Zhejiang Rongjun HospitalAbstract Background At present, there is a dearth of objective methodologies for assessing the effectiveness of treatments for Lateral Epicondylitis (LE). This study examined 73 patients suffering from tennis elbow using a multimodal ultrasound approach and investigated the correlation between pertinent indicators and clinical scores. Methods 73 patients diagnosed with unilateral tennis elbow by interventional ultrasound at Zhejiang Rongjun Hospital were included in the study. Ultrasound data of the extensor tendon, as well as VAS (Visual Analog Scale) and MEPS (Mayo Elbow Performance Score) for the affected elbow, were collected before and after a two-week treatment period. The study aimed to compare the alterations in gray-scale ultrasound features, hemodynamic parameters, and elastography scores pre- and post-treatment, and to analyze the correlation between the changes in ultrasound parameters and pain scores. Results Following treatment, the effective group exhibited a reduction in both the blood flow grade and elastic score of the extensor tendon. Additionally, the extensor tendon thickness in the effective group diminished to a greater extent than in the ineffective group. The effective group also experienced a higher rate of decrease in blood flow grade and a more pronounced increase in Resistive Index (RI) compared to the ineffective group. The reduction in tendon thickness, the increase in RI, and the improvement in elastic score were all positively correlated with the reduction in VAS scores. Notably, the increase in RI demonstrated the strongest correlation with the decrease in VAS scores. Conclusions Multimodal ultrasound plays a significant role in the clinical assessment of treatment outcomes for Lateral Epicondylitis.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08283-xElbowEpicondylitisTennisElbowTendonPainUltrasonography
spellingShingle Chengfeng Chu
Mingmin Xu
Jichao Hu
Multimodal ultrasound assessment of the injection therapy in lateral epicondylitis: a retrospective observational study
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
Elbow
Epicondylitis
TennisElbow
Tendon
Pain
Ultrasonography
title Multimodal ultrasound assessment of the injection therapy in lateral epicondylitis: a retrospective observational study
title_full Multimodal ultrasound assessment of the injection therapy in lateral epicondylitis: a retrospective observational study
title_fullStr Multimodal ultrasound assessment of the injection therapy in lateral epicondylitis: a retrospective observational study
title_full_unstemmed Multimodal ultrasound assessment of the injection therapy in lateral epicondylitis: a retrospective observational study
title_short Multimodal ultrasound assessment of the injection therapy in lateral epicondylitis: a retrospective observational study
title_sort multimodal ultrasound assessment of the injection therapy in lateral epicondylitis a retrospective observational study
topic Elbow
Epicondylitis
TennisElbow
Tendon
Pain
Ultrasonography
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08283-x
work_keys_str_mv AT chengfengchu multimodalultrasoundassessmentoftheinjectiontherapyinlateralepicondylitisaretrospectiveobservationalstudy
AT mingminxu multimodalultrasoundassessmentoftheinjectiontherapyinlateralepicondylitisaretrospectiveobservationalstudy
AT jichaohu multimodalultrasoundassessmentoftheinjectiontherapyinlateralepicondylitisaretrospectiveobservationalstudy