Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

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Here are some of the ways Dr. Bieber uses SonoSite ultrasound systems:

  • Detect joint and cartilage damage
  • Evaluate acute and chronic tendon and ligament injuries
  • Check tendon function
  • Evaluate soft tissue problems
  • Accurately perform procedures, such as injections, aspirations, and biopsies

Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

Musculoskeletal ultrasound is a natural extension of my clinical evaluation and improves diagnostic accuracy and guides the treatment of a variety of soft tissue disorders, nerve injuries and inflammatory disorders. Musculoskeletal ultrasound is dynamic, safe, and has few technical limitations and no contraindications.

More cost effective and less timely than CT or MRI and more sensitive than traditional x-ray, musculoskeletal ultrasound is now an essential component of my practice. Musculoskeletal ultrasound has been found to be at least as accurate as MRI for defining rotator cuff injuries. No longer is it necessary to try to define which abnormality found on an MRI study is the pain generator. My patient's immediate feedback during the ultrasound examination guides me as an experienced sonographer to correctly identify and correlate the abnormal finding with my patient's pain complaint. This has helped reduce medical costs and improve outcomes by eliminating unnecessary testing and allowing me to focus the treatment on the real problem.

Musculoskeletal ultrasound is ideal for needle guidance for aspiration or injection procedures improving the accuracy and outcomes as well as reducing the pain my patients may experience during injections. By using musculoskeletal ultrasound rather than other techniques like fluoroscopy for needle guidance radiation exposure is avoided and the cost is drastically reduced. Musculoskeletal ultrasound allows for many advanced procedures such as regenerative medicine injections including platelet rich plasma (PRP) . In addition, Orthovisc injections which contain hyaluronic acid are also performed under ultrasound guidance. Ultrasound guided injections are also utilized for sports injuries such as, tendon, joint, and bursal inflammation with the use of corticosteroids and homeopathic medication. All of these injections are administered with 100% accuracy under ultrasound guidance, compared to the traditional approach.