Ultrasound diagnostics of the knee joint according to international standards

Course curriculum

• Technical aspects of ultrasound examination of the knee joint
• Requirements for ultrasound equipment, including the balance of resolution and penetration depth
• Review of indications for examination based on clinical symptoms and presumptive diagnoses
• Anatomy of the knee joint
• Analysis of the knee structure, including the patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joints, as well as the tibiofibular junction
• Description of the function of the thigh extensor mechanism, the anatomy of the capsule, ligaments, muscles, and tendons, the role of the patella and its retinacula, the structure of the menisci, as well as the bursae and recesses of the knee joint
• Ultrasound scanning protocol
• Presentation of the step-by-step technique of knee joint ultrasound examination, including 14 key steps for comprehensive scanning and functional tests for assessing mobility and pain syndromes
• Synovial pathology and effusions
• Ultrasound assessment techniques of effusions, synovial hypertrophy, bursitis, Baker's cyst and hemarthrosis, as well as methods of differentiating these conditions
• Specifics of knee diseases
• Identification of ultrasound signs of rheumatoid arthritis, gout and pyrophosphate arthropathy, including characteristic joint changes
• Assessment of cartilage and menisci
• Detailed study of ultrasound diagnostic methods for various types of meniscal and cartilage injuries
• Assessment criteria by ICRS and Outerbridge
• Osteoarthritis of the knee joint
• Analysis of diagnostic criteria for osteoarthritis stages based on ACR and OMERACT data
• Imaging of structural joint changes
• Ligaments and tendons of the knee
• Analysis of tendinopathies, enthesopathies
• Assessment of ligament and tendon injuries, including syndromes and specific pathologies such as Osgood-Schlatter and Sinding-Larsen-Johansson diseases
• The fat pad and its pathologies
• Overview of fat pad pathologies, including Hoffa's disease, fat pad impingement and ganglia
• Tibiofibular joint
• Diagnosis of injuries and degenerative changes in the joint
• Methods of ultrasound assessment
• Ultrasound guidance during punctures
• Application of ultrasound guidance to improve the accuracy and safety of puncture procedures
• Reporting, documentation, clinical guidelines
• Methodology for compiling ultrasound examination reports, including structured description of detected pathologies
• Analysis of the clinical presentation of detected pathologies and development of patient management strategies based on ultrasound examination data