Sonographic assessment of orthopedic hardware impingement on soft tissues of the limbs.

Ultrasonography allows high-resolution imaging with real-time correlation to patients' pain, and it is an indispensable tool for assessing disorders associated with soft tissue impingement by orthopedic hardware. The sonographic examination in these cases begins with static studies, and images are then obtained during active and passive joint mobilization designed to reproduce the conflict with the orthopedic hardware. Ultrasonography is particularly useful for documenting hardware-induced injury to tendons and synovial bursae, but also those of muscles and vascular structures. The frequency of hardware-soft tissue conflict varies with the site and type of surgical procedure, but in all cases ultrasonography plays an essential role in identifying this type of conflict and assessing the soft tissue lesions it causes.