title: Musculoskeletal interventional procedures: With or without imaging guidance?
abstract: Aspiration and injection of joints and soft tissues is an indispensable skill used in everyday practice by the clinical rheumatologist. Most rheumatologists recognise that performing these procedures using anatomical landmarks is not always successful, particularly in the case of small or infrequently injected joints, bursae or tendon sheaths. Musculoskeletal ultrasound confirms the local pathological-anatomical diagnosis and is the most applicable and feasible imaging method that can be applied in clinical practice in guiding musculoskeletal interventional procedures. From 1993, there has been substantial examination of the accuracy of landmark- and imaging-guided procedures. We have searched the literature and ascertained whether imaging techniques improve the accuracy of musculoskeletal procedures and whether the accuracy of needle placement can be translated into improved clinical outcome (efficacy).
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: david.kane@amnch.ie.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.affiliation: Mikkeli Central Hospital, Porrassalmenkatu 35-37, 50100 Mikkeli, Finland.
authors.forename: Juhani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koski
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Efficacy; Intra-articular injection; Musculoskeletal; Procedural; Ultrasound guided