Ultrasound
With regard to imaging procedures, sonography, also known as echography or colloquial ultrasound, should be mentioned first. In the case of tennis elbow, the ultrasound image shows a swelling of the elbow joint. Furthermore, there is an increased formation of blood vessels and changes at the affected tendon attachment points.
X-ray
To differentiate a tennis elbow from, for example, arthrosis, an X-ray of the elbow joint is taken in two planes, i.e. from two different directions. In the case of arthrosis, changes in the joint would become visible in the X-ray image. If the image is inconspicuous, this usually indicates tennis elbow.
MRT elbow for tennis elbow
Another imaging method is magnetic resonance imaging, also known as magnetic resonance imaging or MRI. If tennis elbow is present, a so-called signal elevation can be detected. MRI is based on magnetic waves that are emitted by different tissues as signals of varying strength.
The different signal intensities can then be displayed in sectional images of the body as different gray levels. By signal enhancement, the physician understands that a tissue emits a stronger signal than the surrounding tissue and appears brighter than the surrounding tissue in the MRI image. The strength of the signal depends largely on the hydrogen content of a tissue.
Inflamed tissue has a different hydrogen content than healthy tissue and can therefore be easily depicted in the MRI image of the elbow. For further information please see also under: MRI of the elbowIn summary, it can be said that tennis elbow is primarily a clinical diagnosis based on the patient’s medical history and physical examination. Only in cases where several differential diagnoses are possible, laboratory diagnostics and imaging procedures are used.
