Knee ultrasound

A quick and effective diagnosis of painful knee conditions complements other diagnostic techniques. Diagnostic knee ultrasound must be correlated with the clinical picture, i.e. the examination of the patient. Diagnostic ultrasound is an excellent way to assess the soft structures surrounding the knee (muscles, tendons, ligaments, the joint capsule and linings such as the synovium).

Diagnostic ultrasound clearly identifies an effusion inside the knee and can help with metabolic and inflammatory joint diseases. It helps in carrying out procedures such as puncture, pain blocks, injections and removal of joint fluid. Internal structures such as the menisci and cruciate ligaments contain little water, so ultrasound is not the ideal method for assessing them.

Diagnostic ultrasound is used in orthopaedics, rheumatology and physical medicine and rehabilitation, where it is an excellent complement to other diagnostic techniques such as plain X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography and knee scintigraphy. Diagnostic ultrasound is the primary method for examining the knee region in a range of diseases and injuries, such as traumatic conditions (muscle, tendon and/or ligament tears, Baker's cyst, effusion inside the knee, haematoma), degenerative and other conditions (osteoarthritis, lipoma, sebaceous cyst, ganglion cyst, neurinoma), metabolic diseases (gout, pseudogout) and inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid, psoriatic and/or reactive arthritis, spondyloarthritis).

Diagnostic ultrasound is also increasingly used for vascular anomalies, thromboses, lymph nodes and soft-tissue tumours. Ultrasound is a readily available, painless method without ionising radiation.