Degenerative joint disease, also known as osteoarthritis, is the most common form of arthritis, characterized by the progressive loss of cartilage in joints, leading to pain, stiffness, and decreased range of motion. On musculoskeletal ultrasound, signs of degenerative joint disease include thinning or irregularity of the articular cartilage, osteophytes or bone spurs at the joint margins, joint effusion, and synovial thickening. Ultrasound is particularly useful for evaluating the knee, hip, hand, and shoulder joints because it can provide real-time, dynamic imaging of the joint during movement and can guide therapeutic injections of corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid directly into the affected joint.
Sonography Term