Meaning of the Ultrasound Examination for the Diagnosis of Glenohumeral Arthritis

From the previous information about the meaning of the anamnesis, objective state and X-ray as examining methods for a setting of diagnosis of the glenohumeral articulation it results in that these findings do not belong to the matutinal or specific symptoms of arthritis of the shoulder joint. According to the personal experience we can never eliminate synovitis or hydrops even if there are present only mild pains localized in the area of the shoulder joint 1. Sometimes mainly a morning stiffness dominates at sneaking glenohumeral arthritis. With regarding to the fact that similar symptoms occur also at other diseases, as arthritis of the shoulder joint, the diagnosis only on the basis of these objective and subjective symptoms is very erratic. On the basis of this experience we think that with a suspicion of synovitis of the shoulder joint, it is necessary to make the ultrasound examination which can diagnose initial stages of glenohumeral synovitis and hydrops.

 

 

We have to set a question if the ultrasound examination was a suitable tool for a timely synovectomy of the shoulder joint which is not probably indicated till this time in such a frequency due to a bad examining of the glenohumeral articulation, and if it was an entrance examination before arthroscopy of the glenohumeral articulation2.

 1a restriction of the extension of an active and a passive isolated movement in the glenohumeral articulation is always there, and it is very expressive.

2we think that the ultrasound examination would indicated arthroscopy more often than now. In no case it deals with a competition, but with an mutual advantageous complementation. Synovitides of the glenohumeral articulation are not rare!!!!