As shown by the medical statistics, more than half of all injuries of the musculoskeletal system are associated with knee joint damage. The knee joint connecting the femur, tibia and patella is the second largest joint of the body. It is located superficially, which explains its frequent damage.
Most knee joint injuries are associated with rupture of ligaments or a meniscus, which is especially common in athletes. Even minor knee injuries lead to considerable discomfort, pain and movement limitation. More serious injuries in the absence of timely and adequate treatment can lead to disability and disability.
When is it necessary to perform an ultrasound of the knee joint?
Indications for an ultrasound examination of the knee is the presence or suspected of the following pathologies:
- various injuries and bruises of the knee joint;
- degenerative-dystrophic diseases;
- inflammatory processes in the knee joint;
- damage to the cruciform and lateral ligaments, menisci ;
- osteochondropathy;
- fracture of patella;
- a tumor of the bone tissue that forms the knee joint, etc.
What does the ultrasound of the knee joint show?
Before the appointment of treatment measures for damage to the knee joint, it is important to establish the correct diagnosis. As a rule, collecting an anamnesis and an external examination of the knee joint is not enough for this. In connection with this, an ultrasound of the knee joint is often prescribed, which makes it possible to detect pathological processes in all tissues of the knee in time, even before the appearance of severe clinical symptoms of the disease.
At ultrasonic research of a knee joint it is estimated:
- presence of fluid in the joint;
- thickness and quality structure of cartilage and bone tissue;
- the condition of internal and external ligaments and other soft tissue structures located both in the joint cavity and beyond, close to the joint, etc.
Ultrasound, MRI or x-ray of the knee joint - which is better?
Comparing various possible methods of diagnosis of the knee joint, in particular, MRI, X-ray and ultrasound, it is worth noting the advantages of ultrasound. The possibilities of ultrasound diagnostics in relation to the musculoskeletal system are not inferior to magnetic resonance imaging, but ultrasound is more simple in execution and more economical for patients.
X-ray examination has a serious drawback due to the fact that the X-ray image allows us to evaluate only the bone structures of the joint. And the soft tissues of the knee joint (meniscus, joint capsule, tendons, ligaments, etc.) can not be seen with the help of an X-ray.
Also worth noting is the possibility of identifying on ultrasound so-called "small" bone fractures, which are not visualized by radiography. In this question, ultrasound even surpasses the accuracy of MRI diagnostics. Thus, ultrasound of the knee joint is the most highly informative and accessible diagnostic method.
How do knee joint ultrasound?
The technique of performing an ultrasound of the knee (ligaments, meniscus, etc.) involves the evaluation and comparison of the right and left joints simultaneously. The patient is in a supine position with a roll placed under the knee. First, the front and side surfaces are examined, after which the patient turns on the abdomen and examines the posterior surface.
The possibility of simultaneous examination of both knee joints (damaged and healthy) allows to avoid false revaluation or underestimation of the detected changes.