How does ultrasound help identify knee osteoarthritis?

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Viet Thu - Doctor of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine - Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Osteoarthritis of the knee directly affects mobility, causing pain and difficulty in movement. Methods to help identify knee osteoarthritis such as X-ray, knee arthroscopy, including ultrasound of knee osteoarthritis.

Knee osteoarthritis is a condition in which the articular cartilage, the disc between the two knee bones is torn, cracked, lost elasticity, worn away... directly into each other causing swelling, pain, stiffness.
Because the knee joint carries the weight of the entire body and has to work often, it is one of the most vulnerable parts.

Causes of knee osteoarthritis are divided into 2 types:
Primary osteoarthritis is the main cause, appears late, usually in people after 60 years of age, can be in one or more joints, progresses slowly. In addition, there may be genetic, endocrine and metabolic factors (menopause, diabetes...) that can increase the degenerative condition
Secondary osteoarthritis The disease occurs in all ages, causes Causes may be due to injuries that cause the
joint axis to change (fractures, dislocations...).
Congenital anomalies of the knee joint:
The knee joint turns outward (genu valgum); The knee joint turns inward (genu varum); Overextended knee joint (genu recurvatum...) Or after other inflammatory lesions in the knee joint (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, joint tuberculosis, purulent inflammation, gout, bleeding in the joint - hemophilia. ..)

Dull pain at the knee joint, more painful when moving. The more intense the movement, the more painful the pain increases When moving, stretching the leg, hearing the clicking sound in the knee Difficulty bending the knee, feeling stiff in the knee in the morning after waking up The knee is swollen. Movement is difficult Knee joint deformity, this is a state of atrophy of the joint, the cartilage of the joint has been seriously damaged. Knee osteoarthritis in the early stages can be treated with inpatient treatment combined with physical therapy. Severe knee osteoarthritis not only causes pain but also greatly affects motor function, patients must be treated with surgical methods. Therefore, it is important to conduct an examination and identify knee osteoarthritis as soon as possible.

To identify degenerative knee disease, imaging methods must be used such as: ultrasound of the knee joint, X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), knee arthroscopy...
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ) : allows the clearest and most complete image of the knee joint. The 3-dimensional image of the knee joint is recorded, through which the doctor will detect and evaluate the damage of the meniscus... Knee arthroscopy: knee arthroscopy helps to observe and approach the lesions. injury of articular cartilage at 4 different levels. Knee arthroscopy combined with synovial membrane biopsy to differentiate diagnostic cytology from other joint pathologies.

In addition to the above methods, ultrasound of the knee joint is a very convenient and safe method of detecting knee osteoarthritis, the cost of an ultrasound of the knee joint is also very cheap, suitable for many patients. Knee ultrasound helps doctors check the condition of articular cartilage such as:
Measure the thickness of the joint cartilage, assess the degree of wear and tear of the cartilage or detect damage such as torn meniscus... Check the damage Joint effusion injury Knee ultrasound helps to detect and evaluate the condition of bone spurs, joint space narrowing Detecting herniated synovial membrane behind the knee joint, Baker's cyst in the popliteal or foreign body in the knee joint. Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the prestigious addresses, effectively treating osteoarthritis diseases in general and knee osteoarthritis in particular. Vinmec is fully equipped with modern medical equipment to help detect and accurately assess the disease condition, distinguishing bone and joint diseases. Under the examination, imaging and treatment of doctors, the leading orthopedic specialist Vinmec will help patients shorten the treatment time and improve the effectiveness of treatment, improve mobility. body movement.