[Diagnostic possibilities of ultrasonic scanning of the knee joints in osteoarthrosis].

Aim: To examine diagnostic potential of arthrosonography (ASG) in diagnosis of tendenitis in combination with synovitis in patients with gonarthrosis stage I-III by Kellgren's classification.
Material and Methods: A total of 40 patients with gonarthrosis exacerbation were examined with x-ray and ultrasound scanning (80 joints). ASG was made on Aloka-SSD-630 device using two-dimentional scanning in 4 longitudinal and 4 transverse positions.
Results: Clinical symptoms of synovitis were predominant in patients with gonarthrosis x-ray stage II (68.3%). In ASG synovitis was detected in 41 (51.25%) of 48 knee joints with clinical picture of synovitis. Ultrasound detected such synovitis signs as increased amount of water in the knee joint cavity and b. suprapatellaris, thickening of the synovial membrane more than 0.3 cm and changes in its structure. Six (7.5%) joints were affected with subclinical synovitis diagnosed only in ASG. Ultrasound visualized Baker's cyst in 5 patients and in 5 knee joints. Periarthritis was detected in 77.5% joints, in 46.25% joints it combined with synovitis, ASG provided differential diagnosis of synovitis with periarthritis. Thinning of the cartilage was detected in most of the joints both in synovitis and in its absence but it was more significant in synovitis (62.5 and 40%, respectively).
Conclusion: ASG is an informative diagnostic method in periarthritis and synovitis, including subclinical, and give additional information for x-ray diagnosis in gonarthrosis stage I-III.