[Significance of the radial compression syndrome for the diagnosis and surgical therapy of so-called epicondylitis humeri radialis (Epic. hum. rad.)].

25 patients with Tennis Elbow were examined after surgery (= retrospectively), 25 before surgery (= prospectively). All of the patients were operated on according to the Wilhelm and Wachsmuth method. 5-18 months after surgery (on average 10), both groups underwent clinical examinations. Those patients who still had symptoms were given neurophysiological examinations. Both groups were compared with each other. The following results were obtained from the comparison: 1) 7 patients (28%) in the retrospective group were dissatisfied with the results of surgery and still had symptoms specific to the disease. In the prospective group, only 2 patients (8%) complained of similar problems. 2) 6 of the above-mentioned 7 dissatisfied patients in the retrospective group agreed to a postoperative neurophysiological examination. This revealed in five out of six patients damage to the radialis nerve. 3) At the clinical examinations of the 25 prospective patients, 17 were suspected of having radial compression syndrome. In 9 patients, this suspicion was confirmed by the neurophysiological findings. A neurolysis of the N. radialis was performed on these nine patients during surgery. All of these patients were satisfied with the results of surgery at the follow-up examination. The above results permit the following conclusions: 1) The failures in surgical treatment of Tennis Elbow can in part be put down to radial compression syndrome. 2) A thorough clinical examination, which in particular takes radial compression syndrome into account, should be carried out on every Tennis-Elbow-patient. 3) The neurophysiological examination of the main extensors of the hand should be an obligatory part of pre-operative preparations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)