Ultrasound imaging for the rheumatologist. I. Ultrasonography of the shoulder.

Ultrasonography (US) has proved to be a useful diagnostic tool in patients with shoulder pain and/or limited range of motion. It allows careful assessment of a wide range of changes involving many different anatomic structures of the shoulder girdle, such as the rotator cuff tendons (tendonitis, tendon tears and calcific deposits), the long head of the biceps tendon (tenosynovitis, tendonitis, tears, rupture and displacement), the bursae (bursitis), the soft tissues of the gleno-humeral (synovial proliferation, joint effusion) and acromioclavicular joints (synovial proliferation and joint effusion). In addition, it is also a reliable tool in the evaluation of bony profiles detecting the presence of erosions and osteophytes. The use of high quality equipment and the application of a standard scanning protocol are mandatory for reliable US assessment of shoulder pathology.