Ultrasound in crystal-related arthritis.

In the last decade, an increasing number of rheumatologists have been using ultrasound (US) for assessing patients with gout and calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease. The high reflectivity of the crystalline aggregates and the ability of US to detect even minimal crystal deposits explain the high sensitivity of this imaging technique. Furthermore, the peculiar distribution within the target tissues results in the generation of typical...