title: Ultrasonography of the hip.
abstract: A complete physical examination of the hip is often difficult due to its size and deep position. During the last two decades, ultrasonography (US) of the hip has been widely accepted as a useful diagnostic tool in patients with hip pain and /or limited range of motion. It is commonly used in both adults and children. This technique allows evaluation of different anatomical structures and their pathological changes, such as joint recess (joint effusion, synovial hypertrophy), changes within the bursae (bursitis), tendons and muscles (tendinopathy, ruptures, calcifications), as well as changes in the bony profile of the joint surfaces, ischial tuberosity, and greater trochanter (erosions, osteophytes, calcific deposits). US is very useful for guided procedures in hip joint and periarticular soft tissues under direct visualization. The needle aspiration of synovial fluid and steroid injections are commonly-applied activities in daily rheumatology practice. The relatively limited acoustic windows available to the US beam are the principal limitations to hip US. Therefore, conducting a detailed examination of some important structures together with the interpretation of Doppler signal (sometimes undetectable) is not easy, requiring good knowledge of the modality. The aim of this review is to analyze the current literature about US of the hip and to describe the most frequently-observed normal and pathological findings.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Rheumatology St. Irina, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Rodina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nestorova
authors.forename: Violeta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vlad
authors.forename: Tzvetanka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Petranova
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Porta
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Radunovic
authors.forename: Mihaela C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Micu
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iagnocco
mesh_terms: D002061:Bursa, Synovial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002062:Bursitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005206:Fascia Lata / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005267:Femoral Nerve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005268:Femoral Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007270:Injections, Intra-Articular / Q000379:methods; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D056888:Patient Positioning; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D052256:Tendinopathy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013710:Tendons / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional