Interventional therapeutic procedures to treat degenerative and inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions: state of the art

Updates in Ultrasound in Rheumatology

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the authors' narrative review was to outline the current literature regarding the use of ultrasound in main rheumatic disorders and summarize the updates, specifically about rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and crystal-induced arthropathies.

METHODS

The authors searched on PubMed for articles discussing the major updates regarding the role of ultrasound in the previously mentioned rheumatic conditions.

RESULTS

The authors have provided the updated definitions, new criteria, and diagnostic scores.

CONCLUSIONS

In rheumatology's dynamic landscape, this review provides valuable insights for researchers and clinicians on ultrasound's role in improving patient care and outcomes in rheumatic diseases.

US-Guided Interventional Procedures for Total Hip Arthroplasty

In patients with total hip arthroplasty (THA) with recurrent pain, symptoms may be caused by several conditions involving not just the joint, but also the surrounding soft tissues including tendons, muscles, bursae, and peripheral nerves. US and US-guided interventional procedures are important tools in the diagnostic work-up of patients with painful THA given that it is possible to reach a prompt diagnosis both directly identifying the pathological changes of periprosthetic structures and indirectly evaluating the response and pain relief to local injection of anesthetics under US monitoring. Then, US guidance can be used for the aspiration of fluid from the joint or periarticular collections, or alternatively to follow the biopsy needle to collect samples for culture analysis in the suspicion of prosthetic joint infection. Furthermore, US-guided percutaneous interventions may be used to treat several conditions with well-established minimally invasive procedures that involve injections of corticosteroid, local anesthetics, and platelet-rich plasma or other autologous products. In this review, we will discuss the clinical and technical applications of US-guided percutaneous interventional procedures in painful THA that can be used in routine daily practice for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Imaging-Guided Musculoskeletal Interventions in the Lower Limb

Imaging guidance is essential for musculoskeletal interventional procedures performed in the lower limb. A strong evidence supports the use of imaging guidance to improve safety, accuracy, and effectiveness of these interventions. Joints, tendons, bursae, and nerves can be effectively approached especially with ultrasound-guided injections. Here, we discuss evidence and technique of the most common image-guided musculoskeletal interventional procedures in the lower limb.

Ultrasound-guided Musculoskeletal Interventional Procedures Around the Hip: A Practical Guide

Several studies have shown that ultrasound guidance may contribute to improved safety, effectiveness and accuracy of musculoskeletal interventional procedures performed around the hip if compared to those performed with a landmark-guided technique. Different approaches and injectates can be used for treating hip musculoskeletal disorders. These procedures may involve injections in the hip joint, periarticular bursae, tendons, and peripheral nerves. Intra-articular hip injections are mostly used as a conservative approach for treating patients affected by hip osteoarthritis. Ultrasound-guided injection of the iliopsoas bursa is performed in patients with bursitis and/or tendinopathy, to treat those with painful prosthesis due to iliopsoas impingement, or when the lidocaine test is indicated to identify the iliopsoas as a source of pain. Ultrasound-guided interventions are routinely used in patients with greater trochanteric pain syndrome having as target the gluteus medius/minimus tendons and/or the trochanteric bursae. Ultrasound-guided fenestration and platelet-rich plasma injection are applied in patients with hamstring tendinopathy with good clinical outcomes. Last but not least, ultrasound-guided perineural injections can be used for peripheral neuropathies or blocks of the sciatic, lateral femoral cutaneous, and pudendal nerves. In this paper, we discuss the evidence and technical tips for musculoskeletal interventional procedures performed around the hip, highlighting the added value of ultrasound as an imaging guidance modality.

Clinical Application of Ultra-High-Frequency Ultrasound

Musculoskeletal ultrasound involves the study of many superficial targets, especially in the hands, wrists, and feet. Many of these areas are within the first 3 cm of the skin surface and are ideal targets for ultra-high-frequency ultrasound. The high spatial resolution and the superb image quality achievable allow foreseeing a wider use of this novel technique, which has the potential to bring innovation to diagnostic imaging.

Role of Fluorodeoxyglucose-PET in Interventional Radiology

Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET has expanding applications in the field of interventional radiology. FDG-PET provides both qualitative and quantitative assessments of malignancy, infection, and inflammation. These assessments can assist interventional radiologists in selecting the most appropriate treatment options for their oncology patients. FDG-PET is also useful for evaluating the response to interventional treatments and in predicting the prognosis of oncology patients. Finally, FDG-PET can assist the interventional radiologist in diagnosing and monitoring response to treatment of infection and inflammation. Nevertheless, there is a need for additional prospective studies to further establish the role of FDG-PET in these applications.

Ultrasound-guided carpal tunnel injections

Background

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), one of the most common entrapment neuropathies, can, in fact, be considered as a socio-economic issue that reduces work productivity, increases disability, and requires prolonged rehabilitation. The imaging modality of choice in CTS imaging is the ultrasound (US), as several morphological parameters can be used in CTS diagnosis and follow-up. In recent years, US-guided CTS injection therapy has become an established treatment option for mild to moderate CTS. The authors of this review performed a literature search that revealed several differences in US-guided carpal tunnel injection in an attempt to unify individual stages of CTS injections protocol for future guidance: patient preparation, injection approach, needle positioning, injected medications, and injectate volume. The three approaches to carpal tunnel injections described in the literature, that is, the ulnar, radial, and longitudinal, can be implemented with single or multiple deposits and different injection volumes. Medications used for injections are corticosteroids, local anaesthetics, dextrose, saline, platelet-rich plasma, and progesterone.

Conclusions

Although no consensus has yet been reached as to which protocol should be used, the ulnar approach with a single deposit injected in large volumes should be considered as the first choice, while dextrose should be the first-line medication option. Furthermore, as terminological differences make it difficult to draw a uniform comparison the presented steps for US-guided carpal tunnel injection might serve as a guideline for future studies.

Clinical indications for image-guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system: a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)-part VI, foot and ankle

Objectives

Clarity regarding accuracy and effectiveness for interventional procedures around the foot and ankle is lacking. Consequently, a board of 53 members of the Ultrasound and Interventional Subcommittees of the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) reviewed the published literature to evaluate the evidence on image-guided musculoskeletal interventional procedures around this anatomical region.

Methods

We report the results of a Delphi-based consensus of 53 experts from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology who reviewed the published literature for evidence on image-guided interventional procedures offered around foot and ankle in order to derive their clinical indications. Experts drafted a list of statements and graded them according to the Oxford Centre for evidence-based medicine levels of evidence. Consensus was considered strong when > 95% of experts agreed with the statement or broad when > 80% but < 95% agreed. The results of the Delphi-based consensus were used to write the paper that was shared with all panel members for final approval.

Results

A list of 16 evidence-based statements on clinical indications for image-guided musculoskeletal interventional procedures in the foot and ankle were drafted after a literature review. The highest level of evidence was reported for four statements, all receiving 100% agreement.

Conclusion

According to this consensus, image-guided interventions should not be considered a first-level approach for treating Achilles tendinopathy, while ultrasonography guidance is strongly recommended to improve the efficacy of interventional procedures for plantar fasciitis and Morton’s neuroma, particularly using platelet-rich plasma and corticosteroids, respectively.

Key Points

• The expert panel of the ESSR listed 16 evidence-based statements on clinical indications of image-guided musculoskeletal interventional procedures in the foot and ankle.

• Strong consensus was obtained for all statements.

• The highest level of evidence was reached by four statements concerning the effectiveness of US-guided injections of corticosteroid for Morton’s neuroma and PRP for plantar fasciitis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00330-021-08125-z.

Ultrasound-Guided Periprosthetic Biopsy in Failed Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Novel Approach to Test Infection in Patients With Dry Joints

BACKGROUND

To diagnose periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) preoperatively, ultrasound-guided joint aspiration (US-JA) may not be performed when effusion is minimal or absent. We aimed to report and investigate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound-guided periprosthetic biopsy (US-PB) of synovial tissue to obtain joint samples in patients without fluid around the implants.

METHODS

One-hundred nine patients (55 men; mean age: 68 ± 13 years) with failed total hip arthroplasty (THA) who underwent revision surgery performed preoperative US-JA or US-PB to rule out PJI.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine of 109 patients had joint effusion and underwent US-JA, while the remaining 40 with dry joint required US-PB. Thirty-five of 109 patients (32.1%) had PJI, while 74/109 (67.9%) had aseptic THA failure. No immediate complications were observed in both groups. Technical success of US-PB was 100%, as the procedure was carried on as planned in all cases. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of US-JA were 52.2%, 97.8%, 92.3%, 80.3%, and 82.6%, while for US-PB, they were 41.7%, 100%, 100%, 80%, and 82.5%, respectively, with no significant difference (P = .779). Using the final diagnosis as reference standard, we observed a moderate agreement with both US-JA (k = 0.56) and US-PB (k = 0.50).

CONCLUSION

We present a novel US-guided technique to biopsy periprosthetic synovial tissue of failed THA to rule out PJI. We found similar diagnostic performance as compared with traditional US-JA. This supports future larger studies on this procedure that might be applied in patients without joint effusion.

T2-mapping MRI evaluation of patellofemoral cartilage in patients submitted to intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections

This study evaluated the ability of T2 mapping magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T, in addition to morphological sequences, to assess efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, characterizing qualitatively and quantitatively the grade of knee cartilage repair in patients with patellofemoral chondropathy. We retrospectively studied 34 patients (22 men, 12 women, mean age 41.8 years, including 22 men) with patellofemoral knee chondropathy, who underwent intra-articular PRP injections and completed a clinical and instrumental follow-up. As control group, we evaluated 34 patients who underwent non-operative therapy. All patients were submitted to clinical (using VAS and WOMAC index) and imaging studies with 3 T magnetic resonance with cartilage analysis with T2 mapping sequences for cartilage analysis before and after treatment. In the study group, mean pre-treatment T2 relaxation time values were 44.2 ± 2.5 ms, considering all articular cartilage compartments, with significant reduction at the follow-up (p < 0.001). At the index compartment, mean pre-treatment T2 relaxation times values were 47.8 ± 3.6 ms, with statistically significant reduction at the follow-up (p < 0.001). Evaluation of focal cartilage lesions reported pre-treatment mean T2 value of 70.1 ± 13.0 ms and post-treatment mean value of 59.9 ± 4.6 ms (p < 0.001). From a clinical point of view, the pre-treatment WOMAC and VAS scores were 18.3 ± 4.5 and 7 (IQR:6-7.2), respectively; the post-treatment values were 7.3 ± 3.2 and 2 (IQR: 1.7-3.0), respectively (p < 0.001). In the control group, despite clinical improvement, we didn't find significant T2 values change during the follow-up period. In conclusion, T2 mapping is a valuable indicator for chondropathy and treatment-related changes over time.

Plantar forefoot pain: ultrasound findings before and after treatment with custom-made foot orthoses

PURPOSE

No prior studies investigated the role of ultrasound in the assessment of response of patients undergoing treatment of metatarsalgia with custom-made orthoses. Our aim was to describe ultrasound findings of patients with plantar forefoot pain treated with custom-made foot orthoses.

METHODS

Twenty patients (15 females; mean age: 62.6 ± 11 years) affected by metatarsalgia in 27/40 feet underwent clinical evaluation before, three months and six months after treatment with custom-made full foot insole with a support proximal and an excavation below the painful metatarsals. Ultrasound was performed before and three months after the use of orthoses to examine the presence of intermetatarsal/submetatarsal bursitis, metatarsophalangeal joints effusion, anterior plantar fat pad oedema, flexor tendinitis/tenosynovitis, and Morton's neuroma. Outcome measures were clinical response with Foot Function Index (FFI)/Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and ultrasound features changes.

RESULTS

Median VAS and FFI before treatment were 8[5-8.5] and 45.85[32.4-59.4], respectively. After 3 and 6 months of insoles use, both median VAS (2.5 [0-5] and 0 [0-2.75], respectively) and median FFI (7.9 [3.95-20] and 0 [0-3.95], respectively) showed a significant reduction in pain and disability (p < .001). Before treatment, ultrasound revealed 22 intermetatarsal bursitis, 16 submetatarsal bursitis, 10 joint effusions, 20 fat pad oedema, 3 flexor tendinitis/tenosynovitis and 3 Morton's neuromas. After 3 months of treatment, a significant decrease of intermetatarsal bursitis (7, p < .001) was observed. No significant changes were observed in any other ultrasound parameters.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound might be able to detect some imaging features associated with the response of forefoot pain to custom-made foot orthoses, especially intermetatarsal bursitis.

Clinical indications for image-guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system: a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)-part IV, hip

Objectives

Image-guided musculoskeletal interventional procedures around the hip are widely used in daily clinical practice. The need for clarity concerning the actual added value of imaging guidance and types of medications to be offered led the Ultrasound and the Interventional Subcommittees of the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) to promote, with the support of its Research Committee, a collaborative project to review the published literature on image-guided musculoskeletal interventional procedures in the lower limb in order to derive a list of clinical indications.

Methods

In this article, we report the results of a Delphi-based consensus of 53 experts who reviewed the published literature for evidence on image-guided interventional procedures offered in the joint and soft tissues around the hip in order of their clinical indications.

Results

Ten statements concerning image-guided treatment procedures around the hip have been collected by the panel of ESSR experts.

Conclusions

This work highlighted that there is still low evidence in the existing literature on some of these interventional procedures. Further large prospective randomized trials are essential to better confirm the benefits and objectively clarify the role of imaging to guide musculoskeletal interventional procedures around the hip.

Key Points

• Expert consensus produced a list of 10 evidence-based statements on clinical indications of image-guided interventional procedures around the hip.

• The highest level of evidence was only reached for one statement.

• Strong consensus was obtained for all statements.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00330-021-07997-5.

Musculoskeletal Interventional Radiology in the Pediatric Population: State of the Art

Interventional radiology procedures have been proven to be as effective as traditional surgery but usually are characterized by lower morbidity rates. In this article, the most diffuse IR treatments for pediatric lesions are reviewed with the aim of describing main advantages and drawbacks. Ablation procedures (in particular RFA and MRgFUS) are widely used for the management of osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma whereas intracystic injection of methylprednisolone acetate is performed for simple bone cysts. Sclerosing agents and where possible, selective arterial embolization are used for treatment of aneurysmal bone cysts and other vascular malformations. In the management of malignant muscoloskeletal tumors, the role interventional radiology is mainly represented by percutaneous biopsies, and by adiuvant selective embolizations in presence of hypervascular lesions to be submitted to surgery.

Imaging of calcific tendinopathy around the shoulder: usual and unusual presentations and common pitfalls

Rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy (RCCT) is a very common condition, characterized by calcium deposition over fibrocartilaginous metaplasia of tenocytes, mainly occurring in the supraspinatus tendon. RCCT has a typical imaging presentation: in most cases, calcific deposits appear as a dense opacity around the humeral head on conventional radiography, as hyperechoic foci with or without acoustic shadow at ultrasound and as a signal void at magnetic resonance imaging. However, radiologists have to keep in mind the possible unusual presentations of RCCT and the key imaging features to correctly differentiate RCCT from other RC conditions, such as calcific enthesopathy or RC tears. Other presentations of RCCT to be considered are intrabursal, intraosseous, and intramuscular migration of calcific deposits that may mimic infectious processes or malignancies. While intrabursal and intraosseous migration are quite common, intramuscular migration is an unusual evolution of RCCT. It is important also to know atypical regions affected by calcific tendinopathy as biceps brachii, pectoralis major, and deltoid tendons. Unusual presentations of RCCT may lead to diagnostic challenge and mistakes. The aim of this review is to illustrate the usual and unusual imaging findings of RCCT that radiologists should know to reach the correct diagnosis and to exclude other entities with the purpose of preventing further unnecessary imaging examinations or interventional procedures.

Post-surgical Achilles calcific tendinopathy treated with ultrasound-guided percutaneous irrigation

Calcific tendinopathy typically affects the shoulder rotator cuff tendons. Its management includes shock wave therapy and US-guided percutaneous irrigation, with surgery being less and less used. Extra-shoulder calcific tendinopathy is relatively infrequent and typically affects the hip. While the diagnostic techniques and the treatment options for shoulder calcific tendinopathy have been extensively described, there are only anecdotic reports on the other sites. In this paper, we have reported an unusual case of non-insertional Achilles calcific tendinopathy which occurred many years after Achilles surgical repair. This condition, which presented similar appearance to that of the rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy, is totally different from the well-known and more common insertional calcific Achilles tendinopathy in terms of pathophysiological, imaging, and clinical findings. Further, we have shown that US-guided percutaneous irrigation might be a safe, technically feasible, mini-invasive, and effective treatment also for Achilles calcific tendinopathy.

Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Tenotomy of the Long Head of Biceps Tendon in Patients with Symptomatic Complete Rotator Cuff Tear: In Vivo Non-contRolled Prospective Study

Background: We prospectively tested technical feasibility and clinical outcome of percutaneous ultrasound-guided tenotomy of long head of biceps tendon (LHBT). Methods: We included 11 patients (6 women; age: 73 ± 8.6 years) with symptomatic full-thickness rotator cuff tear and intact LHBT, in whom surgical repair was not possible/refused. After ultrasound-guided injection of local anesthetic, the LHBT was cut with a scalpel under continuous ultrasound monitoring until it became no longer visible. Pain was recorded before and at least six months after procedure. An eight-item questionnaire was administered to patients at follow-up. Results: A median of 4 tendon cuts were needed to ensure complete tenotomy. Mean procedure duration was 65 ± 5.7 s. Mean length of skin incision was 5.8 ± 0.6 mm. Pre-tenotomy VAS score was 8.2 ± 0.7, post-tenotomy VAS was 2.8 ± 0.6 (p < 0.001). At follow-up, 5/11 patients were very satisfied, 5/11 satisfied and 1/11 neutral. One patient experienced cramping and very minimal pain in the biceps. Six patients had still moderate shoulder pain, 1/11 minimal pain, 2/11 very minimal pain, while 2/11 had no pain. No patients had weakness in elbow flexion nor limits of daily activities due to LHBT. One patient showed Popeye deformity. All patients would undergo ultrasound-guided tenotomy again. Conclusion: ultrasound-guided percutaneous LHBT tenotomy is technically feasible and effective.

Ultrasound of iliotibial band syndrome

Iliotibial band syndrome or friction syndrome is an overuse disorder of the lateral knee. It is commonly reported in athletes, such as runners and cyclists, and refers to pain related to physical activity. The diagnosis is based on clinical history and physical assessment. Imaging, including ultrasound, is mainly performed in recurrent or refractory cases. The purpose of this paper is to review the etiology, diagnosis, and therapy of iliotibial band syndrome with a focus on ultrasound imaging and ultrasound-guided treatment. Ultrasound findings include soft-tissue edematous swelling or discrete fluid collection, suggestive of bursitis, between the iliotibial band and the lateral femoral epicondyle. The thickening of the iliotibial band has been inconsistently reported. Treatment varies according to the disease phase and, in the acute phase, consists of rest, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications. Ultrasound-guided local steroid injections are effective in relieving symptoms.

Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Irrigation of Rotator Cuff Calcific Tendinopathy (US-PICT): Patient Experience

Purpose

To assess patients' experience of ultrasound-guided percutaneous irrigation of rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy (US-PICT).

Methods

Ninety-one patients (58 females; mean age: 50.5 ± 8.3 years) treated by US-PICT (local anesthesia, single-needle lavage, and intrabursal steroid injection) answered to a list of questions regarding their experience of the procedure before treatment, immediately after treatment, and three months later. The Borg CR10 scale was used to evaluate perceived pain, discomfort during anesthetic injection, and anxiety. The Wilcoxon, Spearman's rho, linear regression, and chi-square statistics were used.

Results

81/91 patients complained mild discomfort during the injection of anesthetics (2, 1-2). Pain scores during US-PICT were very low (0, 0-1), with 70% patients having not experienced pain. After treatment, we found a significant reduction of pain (before: 8, 7-8; 3-month: 3, 1-6; p < .001) and anxiety (before: 5, 2-7; during treatment: 2, 1-7; p = 0.010), with high overall satisfaction (immediately after: 10, 9-10; 3-month: 9, 7-10) and confidence in the possibility of recovery (immediately after: 9, 8-10; 3-month: 10, 8-10), respectively. Treatments performed before US-PICT were not statistically associated with pain relief (p = 0.389) and clinical improvement (p = 0.937). We found a correlation between satisfaction immediately postprocedure and confidence in the possibility of recovery (p = 0.002) and between satisfaction three months after treatment and clinical improvement (p < 0.001) and patients' reminds about the description of the procedure (p = 0.005) and of the potential complications (p = 0.035).

Conclusions

US-PICT is a mildly painful, comfortable, and well-tolerated procedure, regardless of any previous treatments. Patients' satisfaction is correlated with clinical benefit and full explanation of the procedure and its complications.

US-guided percutaneous irrigation of calcific tendinopathy of the rotator cuff in patients with or without previous external shockwave therapy

OBJECTIVES

To compare the outcome of US-guided percutaneous irrigation of calcific tendinopathy (US-PICT) of the rotator cuff in patients with or without previous external shockwave therapy (ESWT).

METHODS

We analyzed all patients treated with US-PICT from March 1, 2016, to October 1, 2019, with shoulder pain refractory to conservative management for rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy, diagnosed with ultrasound. Each patient was examined using the Constant-Murley Score (CMS) questionnaire (score 0-100) before and after treatment. We tested CMS differences using the Mann-Whitney U (Wilcoxon rank-sum) test in the two groups. US-PICT was performed placing two or multiple 14G needles, according to the calcification size, inserted under US guidance to create a circuit of irrigation in the calcified tendon. NaCl solution at 38 °C was then injected from the entry needle in a variable amount to hydrate and fragment the calcification, finally allowing for its expulsion through the exit needle. All patients also received an intrabursal steroid injection.

RESULTS

From 2016 to 2019, 72 US-PICT treatments were performed on 70 patients (females = 46; males = 26) with a mean age of 49.7 years (SD = 8.7. Thirty-three (47%) underwent previous ESWT, while thirty-seven (53%) had no previous treatments. No treatment-related complications were observed. Follow-up was averagely 14.4 months (median = 11.6, SD = 11.9, range 1-45); 37 patients had a follow-up shorter than 12 months (1-11.6); 35 patients were visited after more than 1 year (12.2-45.6, Table W). Before treatment, the mean CMS was 35 (SD = 21); after treatment, it reached 75.4, with an average CMS improvement of 40.3 points (SD = 23.7, p < 0.001). The comparison of improvement between the ESWT and non-ESWT group yielded no significant difference (p = 0.3).

CONCLUSIONS

US-PICT of the rotator cuff is an effective procedure to reduce shoulder pain and increase mobility in patients with calcific tendinopathy, both in short- and long-term time intervals. Previous unsuccessful ESWT does not affect the outcome of US-PICT.

Clinical indications for image-guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system: a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)-Part II, elbow and wrist

BACKGROUND

Although image-guided interventional procedures of the elbow and wrist are routinely performed, there is poor evidence in the literature concerning such treatments. Our aim was to perform a Delphi-based consensus on published evidence on image-guided interventional procedures around the elbow and wrist and provide clinical indications on this topic.

METHODS

A board of 45 experts in image-guided interventional musculoskeletal procedures from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology were involved in this Delphi-based consensus study. All panelists reviewed and scored published papers on image-guided interventional procedures around the elbow and wrist updated to September 2018 according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine levels of evidence. Consensus on statements drafted by the panelists about clinical indications was considered as "strong" when more than 95% of panelists agreed and as "broad" if more than 80% agreed.

RESULTS

Eighteen statements were drafted, 12 about tendon procedures and 6 about intra-articular procedures. Only statement #15 reached the highest level of evidence (ultrasound-guided steroid wrist injections result in greater pain reduction and greater likelihood of attaining clinically important improvement). Seventeen statements received strong consensus (94%), while one received broad consensus (6%).

CONCLUSIONS

There is still poor evidence in published papers on image-guided interventional procedures around the elbow and wrist. A strong consensus has been achieved in 17/18 (94%) statements provided by the panel on clinical indications. Large prospective randomized trials are needed to better define the role of these procedures in clinical practice.

KEY POINTS

• The panel provided 18 evidence-based statements on clinical indications of image-guided interventional procedures around the elbow and wrist. • Only statement #15 reached the highest level of evidence: ultrasound-guided steroid wrist injections result in greater pain reduction and greater likelihood of attaining clinically important improvement. • Seventeen statements received strong consensus (94%), while broad consensus was obtained by 1 statement (6%).

Clinical indications for image guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system: a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)-part III, nerves of the upper limb

BACKGROUND

Image-guided interventional procedures of the nerves are commonly performed by physicians from different medical specialties, although there is a lack of clinical indications for these types of procedures. This Delphi-based consensus provided a list of indications on image-guided interventional procedures for nerves of the upper limb based on updated published evidence.

METHODS

An expert panel of 45 members of the Ultrasound and Interventional Subcommittees of the ESSR participated in this Delphi-based consensus study. After revision of the published papers on image-guided interventional procedures for nerves of the upper limb updated to September 2018, the experts drafted a list of statements according to the Oxford Centre for evidence-based medicine levels of evidence. Consensus on statements regarding clinical indications was considered as strong when more than 95% of experts agreed, and broad if more than 80% agreed.

RESULTS

Ten statements were drafted on procedures for nerves of the upper limb. Only two statements reached the highest level of evidence (ultrasound guidance is a safe and effective method for brachial plexus block; ultrasound-guided non-surgical approaches are safe and effective methods to treat carpal tunnel syndrome in the short term, but there is sparse evidence on the mid- and long-term effectiveness of these interventions). Strong consensus was obtained on 6/10 statements (60%), while 4/10 statements reached broad consensus (40%).

CONCLUSIONS

This Delphi-based consensus study reported poor evidence on image-guided interventional procedures for nerves of the upper limb. Sixty percent of statements on clinical indications provided by the expert board reached a strong consensus.

KEY POINTS

• An expert panel of the ESSR provided 10 evidence-based statements on clinical indications for image-guided interventional procedures for nerves of the upper limb • Two statements reached the highest level of evidence • Strong consensus was obtained on 6/10 statements (60%), while 4/10 statements reached broad consensus (40%).

Clinical indications for image-guided interventional procedures in the musculoskeletal system: a Delphi-based consensus paper from the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR)-part I, shoulder

BACKGROUND

Image-guided interventional procedures around the shoulder are commonly performed in clinical practice, although evidence regarding their effectiveness is scarce. We report the results of a Delphi method review of evidence on literature published on image-guided interventional procedures around the shoulder with a list of clinical indications.

METHODS

Forty-five experts in image-guided musculoskeletal procedures from the ESSR participated in a consensus study using the Delphic method. Peer-reviewed papers regarding interventional procedures around the shoulder up to September 2018 were scored according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine levels of evidence. Statements on clinical indications were constructed. Consensus was considered as strong if more than 95% of experts agreed and as broad if more than 80% agreed.

RESULTS

A total of 20 statements were drafted, and 5 reached the highest level of evidence. There were 10 statements about tendon procedures, 6 about intra-articular procedures, and 4 about intrabursal injections. Strong consensus was obtained in 16 of them (80%), while 4 received broad consensus (20%).

CONCLUSIONS

Literature evidence on image-guided interventional procedures around the shoulder is limited. A strong consensus has been reached for 80% of statements. The ESSR recommends further research to potentially influence treatment options, patient outcomes, and social impact.

KEY POINTS

• Expert consensus produced a list of 20 evidence-based statements on clinical indications of image-guided interventional procedures around the shoulder. • The highest level of evidence was reached for five statements. • Strong consensus was obtained for 16 statements (80%), while 4 received broad consensus (20%).