Partial medial epicondylectomy for cubital tunnel syndrome: Outcome and complications

The results of partial medial epicondylectomy for cubital tunnel syndrome were evaluated in 60 elbows of 54 patients. Preoperatively, 8 patients were grade I, 24 grade IIA, 16 grade IIB, and 12 grade III according to the modified McGowan score (Goldberg BJ et al. JHand Surg [Am] 1989;14:182-8). Mean follow-up was 38.8 months. Special emphasis was placed on evaluation of 5 commonly reported drawbacks: medial elbow pain was related to the end result (P <.01), nerve vulnerability/subluxation might contribute to pain (P <.05), loss of force (approximately 15%) had no clinical implication, and flexion contracture and valgus instability were present in only 1 elbow. Eighty-three percent of our patients were better according to the Wilson and Krout score,22 with 75% having excellent and good results. An improvement of at least 1 McGowan grade was obtained in 88.3%. The chance for complete recovery was inversely related to the initial neuropathy grade, as is consistently found throughout the literature for all types of cubital tunnel surgery. Partial medial epicondylectomy is a valuable surgical procedure for treating grade I to IIB ulnar neuropathy. (J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2002;11:248-52)