The group found that ultrasound is able to detect iliopsoas bursitis, joint effusion, synovial hypertrophy, and communication between iliopsoas bursa and joint space in patients affected by grade II-IV hip osteoarthritis.
The study, conducted by Dr. Luca Sconfienza, PhD, and colleagues, included 860 patients with symptomatic II-IV hip osteoarthritis who were eligible for intra-articular injection of hyaluronan, which is injected directly into the knee joint, between November 2009 and April 2011.
Patients were scanned with either a multifrequency convex 3.5-5 MHz or a linear 7.5-12 MHz high-resolution array transducer; two radiologists evaluated the presence of iliopsoas bursitis and its length, joint effusion, synovial hypertrophy, and communication between bursa and articular space.
Iliopsoas bursitis was found in 19 of the 860 (2.2%) patients. Mean bursa diameter was 2.9 ± 0.9 cm and mean bursa volume was 35 ± 34 mL. Nine of 19 patients (47%) had joint effusion and communication between bursa and articular space, while six of 19 (32%) had hypertrophy. For those patients in whom iliopsoas bursitis was not found, the reading radiologists saw joint effusion in 27 of 860 (3%) and hypertrophy in 25 of 860 (3%).
These findings are good news because iliopsoas bursitis can be a source of pain in patients affected by hip osteoarthritis and can complicate hyaluronan hip injections, Sconfienza's team concluded.
