title: Ultrasound-guided procedures in rheumatology. What is the evidence?
abstract: Ultrasound (US) is a cost-effective, noninvasive, and accessible imaging modality that clinicians use at the point of care to assess disease activity and therapeutic efficacy in different rheumatic conditions. It can play a relevant role in invasive procedures performed by the rheumatologist, potentially ensuring a higher degree of accuracy. However, US-guided injections are still underused, and the conventional blind injection the most commonly adopted approach. In this article, we analyze the current evidence supporting the use of US-guided procedures, emphasizing comparative studies between conventional and US-guided procedures and their benefits in the daily rheumatological practice.
authors.affiliation: From the *Instituto de Rehabilitación Psicofísica, Buenos Aires, Argentina; †Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Laboratory, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación, México, DF, Mexico; ‡Division of Rheumatology, The Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, Providence, RI; and §Research Direction, National Rehabilitation Institute, Mexico City, Mexico; Clinica Reumatologica, Università Politecnica delle Marche Jesi, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cazenave
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pineda
authors.forename: Anthony M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Reginato
authors.forename: Marwin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gutierrez
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional