Table 1.

Prior Systematic Reviews for Surgical Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis.

Study (year)	Journal	No. of articles included (levels of studies included)	Purpose	Surgical procedures included and compared	Surgical outcome and conclusions
Buchbinder et al4 (2002, Updated 2009)	Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews	3 (I)	Compare outcomes of surgery for lateral epicondylitis for the best: (1) symptom reduction, (2) improvement in function, and (3) improvement in grip strength	1. Open 2. Percutaneous 3. PIN decompression	“At this time, there are no published controlled trials of surgery for lateral elbow pain. Without a control group, it is not possible to draw any conclusions about the value of this modality of treatment.”
Lo and Safran21 (2007)	Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research	33 (I, II, III, IV, V)	Compare outcomes of surgery for lateral epicondylitis for the best: (1) relief of pain, (2) restoration of strength, and (3) return to work	1. Open 2. Percutaneous 3. Arthroscopic	“Although there are advantages and disadvantages to each procedure, no technique appears superior by any measure. Therefore, until more randomized, controlled trials are done, it is reasonable to defer to individual surgeons regarding experience and ease of procedure.”
Buchbinder et al5 (2008)	Clinical Evidence	2 (I)	Compare the effects of treatment (both nonsurgical and surgical) for tennis elbow	1. Open 2. Percutaneous	“Percutaneous surgery may be more effective (than open surgery) at improving function at 1-year, and at reducing the median time to return to work.”
Karkhanis et al16 (2008)	British Medical Bulletin	45 (I, II, III, IV)	Compare study quality/methodology within literature discussing the surgical treatment of lateral epicondylitis	1. Open 2. Percutaneous 3. “Endoscopic” (Arthroscopic)	Not applicable—Looked at study quality, rather than outcomes.
Buchbinder et al6 (2011)	Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews	5 (I)	Compare outcomes of surgery for lateral epicondylitis for all clinically relevant outcome measures.	1. Open 2. Percutaneous 3. Radiofrequency microtenotomy 4. PIN decompression	“We cannot be confident that one type of operation provides more benefit and less harm than another operative procedure. There is a suggestion that percutaneous surgery (vs open surgery) may result in better function and earlier return to work compared. Radiofrequency microtenotomy (vs open surgery) may confer earlier pain relief but longer term outcomes appear similar.”
Yeoh et al36 (2012)	Arthroscopy	10 (III, IV)	Compare outcomes of various procedures utilizing arthroscopic elbow surgery (including lateral epicondylitis)	1. Open 2. Arthroscopic	“Arthroscopic treatment of lateral epicondylitis shows similar results when compared with open operations, but no reports compare it to non-operative treatment.”

Note. PIN = posterior interosseous nerve.