Other Soft Tissue Pain Conditions

This study purported to identify the results of using ultrasound [US]-guided injections of corticosteroid for biceps brachii tendinitis. This is a randomized prospective study of 98 patients with biceps brachii tendinitis. In Group A, 45 patients were treated by free-hand injection without US guidance and in Group B, 53 patients were treated by US-guided injection. Mean age was 47 years [range 28 to 72 years]. The average follow-up was 33 weeks [range 24 to 56 weeks]. No significant differences between the two groups were noted for age, gender or weight. Thirty-six patients from Group A and 12 patients from Group B underwent repeated injections [p50.5]. Visual analog scale [VAS] score and the Constant-Murley score were used to evaluate outcomes. The VAS score decreased from 7.1 2.3 before injection to 4.2 3.1 at follow-up in Group A and from 6.9 2.6 to 2.1 1.9 in Group B [p50.05]. The Constant-Murley scale improved from 31.4 11.6 before injection to 73.5 19.2 at followup in Group A and from 32.5 14.7 to 85.5 10.3 in Group B [p50.01]. The authors concluded that the US-guided injection group fared better than the group of patients that got free-hand injections. It was important to note that injection therapy was not satisfactory for patients who demonstrated severely frayed tendons at arthroscopy. No complications were noted from the injections in either group. The authors further concluded that the corticosteroid injection under US guidance is a safe and welltolerated procedure.