• The Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Ultrasound Society
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.89-97
• /
• 2014

Purpose: To evaluate the ultrasonographic findings of the elbows on group screening of middle school baseball players. Materials and Methods: Ninety-three players (age: 12-15, mean 13.5 years) of four middle school baseball team were evaluated with bilateral elbow ultrasonographies in the field regardless of elbow pain. Medial and anterolateral ultrasound examination of the both elbow were performed in the field to detect any abnormalities including medial epicondylar separation or fragmentation and capitellar osteochondritis dissecans respectively. We analyzed the relationship among elbow pain, physical findings and sonographic abnormalities and the differences of sonographic abnormalities between pitchers and fielders. Results: Thirty-six of 93 (39%) players had sonographic abnormalities of elbow in dominant arm, 30 with medial epicondylar apophyseal separation or fragmentation, 2 with osteochondritis dissecans, 4 with both lesions. Twenty-nine of 37 (78%) players with elbow pain had sonographic abnormalities. On physical examination, players with medial epicondylar abnormalities had medial epicondylar tenderness (59%) and pain on valgus stress test (52%), and 5 of 6 (83%) players with osteochondritis dissecans showed flexion contracture more than $5^{\circ}$. The incidence of medial epicondylar abnormalities between pitchers and fielders was statistically not significant but osteochondritis dissecans was more prevalent in pitchers (p<0.05). Conclusion: Elbow sonography is a simple and useful screening tool in the field and also effective for early detection of medial epicondylar abnormalities or osteochondritis dissecans that could be the main causes of elbow pain in adolescent baseball players.