Atlas of Elbow Soft Tissue Pathologies Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging at the Saint Camille Hospital in Ouagadougou and the Polyclinique Notre Dame de la Paix (Burkina Faso)

Introduction: The elbow is a superficial joint, particularly exposed to direct impact, forced movement, and overstrain. Our work aimed to study magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pathologies of the soft tissues of the elbow through illustrative cases. Methodology: This was a retrospective and prospective cross-sectional study covering a period of one year, from June 2020 to June 2021, at the Saint Camille Hospital in Ouagadougou and the Polyclinique Notre Dame de la Paix. Results: In general, this study found that the pathologies diagnosed on MRI were lateral epicondylitis, subcutaneous type V elbow lipoma and liposarcoma, anteromedial cortical fracture of the radial cup, cortical detachment fracture of the lateral epicondylitis, medial epicondylitis, villonodular articular synovitis, simple dermo-hypodermatitis, sequellar fibrosis of the ulnar nerve, Workman's syndrome (median and ulnar nerves) and osteoarthritis of the elbow. Lateral epicondylitis was the most frequent pathology, and most patients consulted for elbow pain predominantly associated with pressure on the epicondyle, with relative functional impotence and, occasionally, elbow swelling. Conclusion: MRI, as a complement to ultrasound and radiography, remains the most informative examination for exploring soft-tissue pathologies of the elbow.