title: Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: A Novel Approach for Luschka's Joint and Vertebral Artery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cervical vertigo has been a controversial diagnosis for several years, and the lack of a diagnostic test is a critical problem. Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) is a real-time dynamic approach that is used to investigate the musculoskeletal and vascular systems.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, MSUS was used to examine whether there is a relationship among vertigo, the vertebral artery (VA), and Luschka's joint proliferation in patients with cervical vertigo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MSUS clearly revealed the size, shape, and characteristics of the Luschka's joint, the VA, and the surrounding structures. The Luschka's joint proliferation was not distributed uniformly, but the predilection sites were C4/5 (50.5%) and C5/6 (32.3%). The proliferation from C4/5 and C5/6 Luschka's joints was the major cause of the grade 2/3 VA tortuosity. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between VA compression from Luschka's joint proliferation and the symptoms of cervical vertigo.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MSUS is a real-time and noninvasive technique that can be used to locate and observe Luschka's joint and the VA during research and clinical applications. In future practice MSUS could be used as a diagnostic approach for patients with suspected cervical vertigo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Xiaoxia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Rongzhong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Yamei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China (mainland).
authors.forename: Lehua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009141:Musculoskeletal System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014717:Vertigo / Q000503:physiopathology*