Disputed radial tunnel syndrome.

True neurogenic radial tunnel syndrome is an uncommon condition caused by entrapment of the radial or posterior interosseous nerve in the radial tunnel and is usually easily identifiable by focal motor weakness in the distribution of the posterior interosseous nerve. Roles and Maudsley, analogizing to carpal tunnel syndrome, believed "radial tunnel syndrome" had a different presentation: proximal forearm pain and tenderness in the region of the supinator muscle. However, their patients lacked weakness or other neurologic deficit. They and subsequent surgeons have decompressed the radial nerve to treat forearm pain and tenderness, even though it is debatable whether radial nerve entrapment causes the forearm discomfort. The term "radial tunnel syndrome" is best reserved for the truly neurogenic cases. Surgical approaches to "persistent tennis elbow" should be assessed in a controlled fashion, rather than adopted on the basis of a flawed analogy to carpal tunnel syndrome. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.