Global Advanced Research Journals! Welcome::::::GARJMMS>Altom et al: Ultrasound findings in patients with knee joint pain and swelling

The objectives of this study were to find out the most common knee joint diseases that affect the Sudanese populations who complain of knee joint pain and swelling, and characterize the sonographic features of each cause, using 7.5-12 MHZ high frequency ultrasound. This study was conducted at Elsahafa Medical Complex and Omdurman Military Hospital from November 2011 to March 2012. Fifty patients were investigated (23 males, 27 females) aged between 20 -70 years, all of them had knee joint pain, and all patients below 20 years were excluded. The researchers found that in 34 patients (68%) there were detectable sonographic abnormalities, and in 16 patients (32%) the scanning results were normal. The results showed that: the anterior knee compartments were the most compartment affected with pain, and the causes of the pain are suprapatellar joint effusion and bursitis constituting (28%) of the total patients, cartilaginous edema of the patella-femoral articulation were(6%), and patellar tendonitis (4%). The posterior knee compartments were the second compartment affected with pain and the causes were Baker's cyst (14%), ruptured Baker's cyst (8%), deep vein thrombosis of the popliteal vein (2%), and Periosteal desmoids tumor (2%). The medial knee compartments were the third compartment affected with knee pain, and the detected cause was Lipoma (4%). The lateral knee compartments were the least compartment affected with pain, and the researchers didn’t detect any causes sonographically. In view of these results the researchers found that the ultrasound has great value in evaluation of the knee joint pain and swelling.

Keyword: Ultrasound, Knee joint, pain