Ultrasonography May Be Useful for Detecting Hand Osteoarthritis

Ultrasonography is a medical imaging technique used to diagnose problems in the soft tissue or deep structures of the body. Images are created by recording the echoes of sound waves directed into the tissues. The sound wave is produced by a transducer encased in a probe. The return sound wave vibrates the transducer which turns the vibrations into electrical pulses that can be used to create a digital image.

Ultrasonography has been used for some time to assess the small joints in inflammatory types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis. More recently, the usefulness of ultrasonography for osteoarthritis has been considered. One small study, published in the August 2008 Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, looked at patients with hand osteoarthritis and compared ultrasonography and traditional x-ray results of the small joints of both hands. Thirty-seven patients had more than 1100 joints imaged using both techniques. Ultrasonography detected osteophytes in 448 joints while x-ray detected osteoophytes in 228 joints -- about 30% fewer joints. Joint space narrowing was detected in 450 joints by ultrasonography but only 261 joints by x-ray. Researchers concluded that the increased detection of osteoarthritis damage using ultrasonography may make it a useful diagnostic tool for hand osteoarthritis.

Related Resources:

• Hand Osteoarthritis - What You Need to Know
• X-ray Evidence of Osteoarthritis
• Hand Osteoarthritis - EULAR Treatment Guidelines
• Hand Osteoarthritis and Being Overweight - What's the Connection?

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