J Korean Acad Rehabil Med.  2009 Aug;33(4):402-407.

Ultrasonography-guided Subacromial Bursal Injection of Corticosteroid: A Comparative Study of Two Dose Regimens

• Yoon SH
• Kwack KS
• Rah UW
• Cho KH

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the treatment efficacy between low and high dose of triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of ultrasonographic-guided subacromial bursa injection. METHOD: Forty two patients with periarticular shoulder disorders were randomly assigned to receive injection with 10 mg (group 1, 20 patients) or 40 mg (group 2, 22 patients) triamcinolone acetonide. After a single injection, participants were followed up for 6 weeks. Treatment efficacy was measured upon pre-treatment and post-treatment on week 1, 3, 6, using visual analog scale for average pain intensity during 24 hours (24 h VAS), Shoulder Function Assessment scale (SFA), Shoulder Disability Questionnaire (SDQ), and active range of motion (AROM). Participants and the assessor were blinded for group assignment.
RESULTS
Six weeks after injection, the 24 h VAS, the SFA, the SDQ, and the AROM (internal rotation, external rotation, and abduction) showed a significantly greater improvement in group 2 than group 1 (p <0.05).
CONCLUSION
This study showed that in the treatment of periarticular shoulder disorders greater pain relief and functional improvement were obtained with a dose of 40 mg triamcinolone acetonide than with a dose of 10 mg.

Keyword

Ultrasonography; Subacromial; Corticosteroid; Impingement syndrome; Painful shoulder

MeSH Terms

Humans
Surveys and Questionnaires
Range of Motion, Articular
Shoulder
Treatment Outcome
Triamcinolone Acetonide
Triamcinolone Acetonide