Yeungnam Univ J Med.  2001 Dec;18(2):170-186. 10.12701/yujm.2001.18.2.170.

Clinical Situations in which Musculoskeletal Ultrasound is Helpful

• Cho KH

• KMID: 1909951
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12701/yujm.2001.18.2.170

Abstract

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) has newly evolved by the mechanical improvement of the machine over past several years, becoming a part of imaging techniques for the evaluation of variable diseases in the musculoskeletal system. MSUS has proven diagnostic superiority in pathologies including rotator cuff disease of the shoulder, lateral epicondylitis of the elbow, diseases of the peripheral nerve, detection of intra-articular loose bodies and soft tissue foreign bodies, and in evaluating small superficial soft tissue tumors such as ganglion, epidermoid cyst, and glomus tumor. Besides, MSUS is very useful for obtaining tissue or fluid via percutaneous fine needle aspiration and/or biopsy for the histopathologic diagnosis. Combining MSUS with MR would play a great role in the field of the diagnostic imaging of the musculoskeletal system. The MSUS examiner should have the knowledge of cross-sectional anatomy, and of the mechanical and physical properties of ultrasound in order to interpret the ultrasound findings accurately and properly, and to avoid diagnostic errors due to variable artifacts subsequently. The goal of this article is to introduce the capabilities of MSUS in certain kinds of clinical situation and to familiarize the reader with MSUS. For the purpose, author intends to describe this article according not to the disease-, or organ-based, but to the clinical problem-based format.

Keyword

Ultrasound; Musculoskeletal; Overview

MeSH Terms

Anatomy, Cross-Sectional
Artifacts
Biopsy
Biopsy, Fine-Needle
Diagnosis
Diagnostic Errors
Diagnostic Imaging
Elbow
Epidermal Cyst
Foreign Bodies
Ganglion Cysts
Glomus Tumor
Musculoskeletal System
Pathology
Peripheral Nerves
Rotator Cuff
Shoulder
Ultrasonography*