SONOGRAPHY OF THE SHOULDER

Sonography of the shoulder joint is a well-established technique in th e hands of the experienced examiner, when using a standardized protoco l. It has proved invaluable in assessing pathological soft tissue chan ges, especially after trauma. The static evaluation of anatomy and dyn amic assessment of function are especially helpful in both preoperativ e staging and postoperative follow-up. The normal anatomy, examination techniques, including our own variations, and pathological conditions are discussed. The findings and various classifications of impingemen t syndrome, rotator cuff injuries, biceps tendon lesions and inflammat ory changes are examined. Review of the major articles in the literatu re shows excellent correlation with our results, the overall sensitivi ty in the case of rotator cuff lesions being over 90%. A well-performe d ultrasound examination in most cases obviates the need for the more invasive arthroscopy and the more cumbersome and expensive MRT examina tions.