Ultrasound-Guided Partial Plantar Fascia Release with the Use of a Fine Cutting Device for the Treatment of Persistent Plantar Fasciitis: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of musculoskeletal discomfort. Minimally invasive interventions are preferred as second-line treatments following failure of conservative management. We report on a novel technique of ultrasound-guided percutaneous release of the medial third of the plantar fascia with the use of a fine cutting device for the treatment of persistent plantar fasciitis. METHODS: This is a retrospective case series of all patients treated with the technique between 2013 and 2015. Patients had failed conservative management for a minimum of 6 months. The procedure was performed in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia. Under continuous ultrasound guidance, release of the medial third of the plantar fascia from the calcaneus was performed using an ophthalmic V-Lance knife through a medial stab wound entry point. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (six men and nine women) with an average age of 54.7 years were included. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) visual analogue scale score for pain improved significantly, from 66.0 (SD, 18.8) preoperatively to each consecutive follow-up point: 29.3 (SD, 25.2) at 2 weeks, 30.0 (SD, 27.8) at 4 weeks, and 34.0 (SD, 26.1) at 12 weeks (P < .001). The mild increase in visual analogue scale score between 4 and 12 weeks was statistically significant (P = .018). Average duration of required analgesia was 5.5 days and average time required to return to usual activities was 5.7 days. Two patients suffered with refractory neuropathic pain over the lateral border of the foot without any obvious abnormality. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided percutaneous release with the use of a fine cutting device could be an alternative option for the treatment of persistent plantar fasciitis. The technique is not without complications, and a mild but statistically significant decline in pain levels from early to short term has been detected. Therefore, the long-term outcomes of this technique need to be investigated before we can advocate its routine use.

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

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.

Platelet-rich plasma ultrasound-guided injection in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome: A placebo-controlled clinical study.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate whether and to what extent a single injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), under ultrasound guidance, can improve the clinical symptoms of patients with a mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We conducted a prospective, randomized, clinical study including 50 patients suffering from mild to moderate CTS for a minimum duration of 3 months. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: Group A (26 patients) received an ultrasound-guided PRP injection into the carpal tunnel, whereas Group B (24 patients) was injected with placebo (0.9% normal saline). The short- and mid-term outcomes were determined with the use of the Q-DASH questionnaire and the pain scale VAS administered at 0, 4, and 12 weeks follow-up. The success ratio was determined by the difference in the Q-DASH obtained pre-injection minus the final Q-DASH obtained after 12 weeks follow-up. Success was defined as a difference more than 25%. Group A patients demonstrated a 76.9% success as determined by the difference Q-DASH, whereas Group B patients demonstrated 33.3% success, which was significantly less than Group A (Χ2 , p = .011). The findings of this study suggest that a single PRP ultrasound-guided injection has positive effects in patients with CTS.