Introduction:When the non-operative treatment of tennis elbow fails to improve the symptoms a surgical procedure can be performed. Many different techniques are available. The percutaneous release of the common extensor origin was first presented by Loose at a meeting in 1962. Despite the simplicity of the operation and its effectiveness in relieving pain with minimal scarring this procedure is still not widely accepted. This study presents the long-term results of percutaneous tennis elbow release in patients when conservative measures including local steroid injections have failed to relieve the symptoms.Patients and Methods:Percutaneous release of the extensor origin was performed in 24 consecutive patients (seven male and seventeen female), providing 30 elbows for this study. The age of the patients ranged from 26 to 71 years with mean age of 55 years. The technique involved a day case procedure in the operating theatre using local anaesthesia without the need for a tourniquet. The lateral elbow was infiltrated with 5mls 1% lignocaine and 5mls 0.5% bupivicaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline. All operations were performed by the senior author. The patients were assessed post operatively by using DASH (disabilities of arm, shoulder and hand) score and Oxford elbow scores. The mean follow up period was 36 months (1-71months).Results:Twenty one patients returned the DASH and Oxford elbow questionnaires. Four patients were lost in the follow up. The post operative outcome was good to excellent in most patients. Eighty seven percent of patients had complete pain relief. The mean post-op DASH score was 8.47 (range 0 to 42.9) and the mean Oxford elbow score was 42.8 (range 16 to 48). There were no complications reported. All the patients returned to their normal jobs, hobbies such as gardening, horse riding and playing musical instruments.Conclusion:In our experience Percutaneous release of the epicondylar muscles for humeral epicondylitis has a high rate of success, is relatively simple to perform, is done as a day case procedure and has been without complications. Percutaneous release is a viable treatment option after failed conservative management of tennis elbow.

Introduction: Congenital dislocation of the patella (CDP) is a rare condition and its treatment is not well defined. In CDP, patella is dislocated on the lateral aspect of the distal femur, laterally from the trochlear groove, it cannot be reduced manually and it is almost always associated with genu valgum, lateral torsion of the proximal tibia, and flexion contracture of the knee. This condition is present at birth, but the clinical findings can be subtle at birth due to the size and character of the structures being examined; early diagnosis is essential, but it may be delayed to late childhood or adulthood. If CDP is not promptly treated, the disability increases during growth, so surgical correction should be planned as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed. Case Report: We report a case of bilateral CDP associated with bilateral proximal radioulnar joint stiffness; the patient at the age of diagnosis was 11 years old and underwent a bilateral delayed surgical procedure; the 4-year follow-up results are satisfactory. Surgical treatment rationale and literature are reviewed. Conclusion: Surgical correction for CDP is generally recommended, but there is no agreement in literature on the ideal treatment and in some cases, with mild impairment of the knee function, observation alone has been suggested. The decision about a surgical treatment can be difficult and depends on the degree of disability of the patient. Keywords: Congenital dislocation of the patella, bilateral congenital dislocation, patella, Z-plasty quadriceps muscle, lateral retinaculum release, lack of active knee extension.

Congenital Clubfoot (CCF) treatment involves a surgical procedure on the Achilles tendon most of the time, i.e. tenotomy or, in selected cases, Z-plasty lengthening. Many authors have studied the outcomes of Achilles tenotomy, describing complete clinical and ultrasound tendon fibers integrity restoration 3-6 weeks after surgery. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanical properties of the operated tendon. Recently, cases of subcutaneous rupture of the Achilles tendon have been described in adolescents who practiced sports and who had undergone Achilles tenotomy for congenital clubfoot in childhood. Authors report two cases of atraumatic Achilles tendon injury (subcutaneous rupture and intratendinous ossification) in adult patients who had been treated for congenital clubfoot in childhood. In both cases, no causes determining the injury were identified; in the medical history there was a Z-plasty lengthening of the Achilles tendon, performed within the first year of life, which could be considered a predisposing factor. The usefulness of long-term monitoring of patients treated for CCF with surgical procedures on the Achilles tendon is therefore hypothesized, in order to promptly identify by symptoms, clinical pictures and ultrasound criteria, tendon suffering that may predispose subcutaneous rupture.

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A 4 months and half female child come to our attention for congenital dislocation of the left hip, previously treated in another hospital with abduction bracing, without satisfactory results. After progressive longitudinal bilateral traction, closed reduction under general anesthesia was performed and a spica cast was applied in the so-called human position. The patients remained in the spica cast for 6 weeks and then the plaster cast was renewed in narcosis for another 6 weeks. Once the second cast has been removed left femoral nerve palsy was detected. Orthopaedic treatment was interrupted and in 3 months the nerve completely recovered, while the hip was still stable. We followed the child regularly since then, she is now five years old, she is totally asymptomatic, X-rays shows a residual acetabular dysplasia, with no sign of avascular necrosis.