Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 11, Issue 4 135-137, Copyright © 1992 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Ultrasonographic guidance of needle placement for shoulder arthrography
N. Cicak, T. Matasovic and T. Bajraktarevic
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Zagreb, Croatia, Yugoslavia.
We describe a technique using high resolution ultrasonography for needle
placement for shoulder arthrography employing the posterior approach, which
to our knowledge has not been reported previously. Twenty-four patients
with clinical suspicion of rotator cuff lesion underwent shoulder
arthrography under sonographic control. Patients ranged in age from 26 to
72 years (mean, 57 years). Accuracy of the needle placement using this
technique was 100%. There were no injuries to adjacent structures and no
extravasation outside the joint. Although fluoroscopic control of needle
placement during shoulder arthrography is the technique of choice,
sonographic control using the posterior approach may be useful in certain
situations (e.g., if the patient is concerned about radiation dose or if
there is soft tissue injury at the anterior of the shoulder.
