This presentation will illustrate how ultrasound (US) can be useful in the evaluation of the painful hip and knee. For experienced examiners using high quality equipment, US is the imaging test of choice for tendon and ligament
abnormalities, bursitis, and dynamic abnormalities such as external snapping hip. Ultrasound is also useful in
screening for hip and knee effusions and guiding diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Ultrasound has a
complementary role to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for pathology involving the hip labrum and knee meniscus, although MRI is preferable for most intra-articular pathologies. Ultrasound is better tolerated, less expensive, and more readily available than MRI, and as US technology continues to improve, its role in hip and knee imaging should continue to grow.
