Optimal Needle Placement for Ultrasound-Guided Knee Joint Injections or Aspirations

The knee joint is one of the most commonly affected locations for various musculoskeletal diseases, such as knee osteoarthritis [1], seronegative spondy loarthropathies, infectious etiologies and trauma. These conditions could not only impair functionality of the knee joints but also cause pain in these areas. To facilitate diagnosis of the underlying disease, arthrocenteses are sometimes needed, during which sufficient joint fluid is obtained to ensure accurate laboratory assessments. At the same time, intra-articular knee injections with corticosteroids are often performed to relieve pain among patients who failed systemic non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Therefore, knee injection and aspiration procedures often play an important role in diagnosis and therapeutic pain relief for the knee joints.