Clinical Application of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in Rheumatic Diseases

Since the development of the ultrasound machine, musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) has become widely used in rheumatology practice. This tool allows important information to be obtained for several diseases, such as the early detection of synovial proliferation, effusion, and bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis, the recognition of enthesitis or dactylitis in spondyloarthropathies, and visual guidance for invasive procedures, such as biopsies, injections, or aspirations. In addition, the use of MSUS in research has increased steadily over the past decade. In this review, we provide a brief introduction and an overview of the clinical application of MSUS in rheumatic diseases.