The Investigation of the Application Value of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in the Diagnosis and Conservative Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective: To explore the application value of musculoskeletal ultrasound in the diagnosis and conservative treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Patients with knee osteoarthritis who were treated in our hospital from January 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021 were selected as the research subjects. The subjects underwent musculoskeletal ultrasonography to record the thickness of the lateral femoral malleolus cartilage, the thickness of the medial femoral malleolus cartilage, the depth of the suprapatellar bursa effusion, and the thickness of the suprapatellar bursa synovium. All patients in the study group received acupuncture treatment after musculoskeletal ultrasonography, and musculoskeletal ultrasonography was performed again after 2 weeks of treatment. The differences in musculoskeletal ultrasound-related parameters were compared between the two groups.

Results: The thickness of the lateral femoral malleolus cartilage and medial femoral malleolus cartilage in the study group was significantly smaller than those in the control group. The depth of the effusion in the suprapatellar bursa and the thickness of the synovial membrane in the suprapatellar bursa were significantly greater than those in the control group. Ultrasonography showed no significant difference in abnormal status compared with arthroscopy, and musculoskeletal ultrasonography revealed knee osteoarthritis, such as cruciate ligament injury, joint effusion, synovial hyperplasia, meniscus injury, and patellar ligament injury. The cartilage thickness of the lateral femoral malleolus and medial malleolus of femur after treatment were significantly greater than those before treatment. The depth of the deep suprapatellar bursa effusion and the thickness of the suprapatellar bursa synovium were significantly smaller than those before treatment.

Conclusion: Musculoskeletal ultrasound has high diagnostic value in knee osteoarthritis. It can detect the lesion as soon as possible and can be used to evaluate the effect of conservative treatment, so as to provide reference basis for clinical formulation or adjustment of further intervention plan.