Safety, Tolerability and Feasibility of Minimally Invasive Ultrasound-Guided Synovial Biopsy of Wrist and Metacarpophalangeal Joints – an Ultrasound Follow-up Study

Background/Purpose: The development of ultrasound-guided synovial biopsy will enable synovial tissue collection from small joints and will facilitate molecular studies, thus improving the understanding of mechanisms of inflammatory arthropathies as small joints are frequently involved in these dis…
acrabstracts.org

Success Rate and Utility of Ultrasound-guided Synovial Biopsies in Clinical Practice

This study’s objectives were to (1) determine the rate of success in retrieving synovial tissue using US guidance, (2) describe the indications for US-guided synovial biopsies in the clinical setting, (3) determine how frequently the synovial biopsy can lead to a clear diagnosis, and (4) assess the quality of the synovial tissue obtained using this technique.…
jrheum.org

Ultrasound-guided synovial biopsy: a safe, well-tolerated and reliable technique for obtaining high-quality synovial tissue from both large and small joints in early arthritis patients

Objective To determine the tolerability, safety and yield of synovial tissue in an early arthritis cohort using a minimally invasive, ultrasound (US)-guided, synovial biopsy technique in small, medium and large joints. Methods 93 sequential biopsy procedures were assessed from a total of 57 patients…
ard.bmj.com

US-guided Percutaneous Release of the Trigger Finger by Using a 21-gauge Needle: A Prospective Study of 60 Cases

Image result for US-guided Percutaneous Release of the Trigger Finger

An interesting article from the journal Radiology.
pubs.rsna.org

Intramuscular versus ultrasound-guided intratenosynovial glucocorticoid injection for tenosynovitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised, double-blind, controlled study

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of intramuscular versus ultrasound (US)-guided intratenosynovial glucocorticoid injection in providing disease control after 2, 4 and 12 weeks in patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA) with tenosynovitis. Methods Fifty patients with RA and…
ard.bmj.com

Point-of-care ultrasound is a great help for precision-targeting in procedures:

1) studies have demonstrated the better efficacy of USG joint and tendon sheath injection with corticosteroid (although we “traditionally” believe that steroid, being lipophilic, will diffuse all around to do its thing anyway);
2) when it comes to viscosupplementation or PRP in a dry OA joint, there simply is no other way;
3) USG access to “difficult” joints like hip and sacroiliac is not subject to ionising radiation compared to fluoroscopic or CT guidance;
4) synovial & mass biopsy;
5) barbotage of calcific tendinosis;
6) fenestration of A1 pulley or flexor retinaculum for trigger finger or carpal tunnel syndrome respectively;
7) hydrodissection of entrapped nerves.