[Ultrasound diagnosis in shoulder trauma]

In cases of injuries to the shoulder region, ultrasonography is an ideal supplement to clinical and radiologic examination, including dynamic functional evaluation. The advantages of the method in children and adults are mainly the reduction of conventional radiographs and thus a minimum exposure to radiation. Despite the growing experience of clinicians and the development of high-resolution sonographic technology, primary conventional radiology cannot be dispensed with. Moreover, sonographic examination is rather time-consuming. Evaluation of the subacromial space and the glenohumeral joint itself is impossible in adults, and diagnosis of lesions to the labrum and the articular capsule requires a great deal of experience on the part of the clinician. Ultrasonography has gained increasing importance in the evaluation and follow-up of shoulder trauma in adults and children.