Knee bursitis: a sonographic evaluation.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the use of ultrasound for the diagnosis of knee bursitis.


METHODS
One-hundred and fifty-eight patients who, from May 2013 to May 2014, had an ultrasound examination of the knee and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee during the following month were eligible for the study. The exams were reviewed by two musculoskeletal radiologists with 20 years of experience.


RESULTS
Of these patients, 15 (7 men, 8 women) had bursitis, while 143 (76 men, 67 women) had no bursitis. In evaluating knee bursitis, US, when compared to MRI, correctly identified 13 out of 15 cases of bursitis, showing a sensitivity of 86.67 %, specificity 100 %, and K index of 0.92. Particularly in the suprapatellar bursa, ultrasound showed bursitis in 5 cases versus 7 by MRI (sensitivity of 71.4 %, specificity of 100 %, and K index of 0.82).


CONCLUSIONS
Ultrasound can be used as a valuable tool for the evaluation of bursitis of the superficial bursae in patients who cannot undergo MRI.
Radiology Institute, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, University of Pavia, Viale Golgi 19, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Ferdinando
F
Draghi
Radiology Institute, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, University of Pavia, Viale Golgi 19, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Riccardo
R
Corti
Institute of Radiology, Second University of Naples, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Luigi
L
Urciuoli
Radiology Institute, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, University of Pavia, Viale Golgi 19, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Francesco
F
Alessandrino
Institute of Radiology, Second University of Naples, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Antonio
A
Rotondo
Bursitis; Knee; Knee bursitis; Magnetic resonance imaging; Ultrasound