Musculoskeletal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute crystalline synovitis

Both gout and calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease are common metabolic arthopathies, presenting not only diagnostic but also management challenges. Though histological crystal aspiration is definitive, diagnosis is commonly established through a composite of clinical features and laboratory findings. Musculoskeletal ultrasound has a contributory and growing role not only in routine disease surveillance but also in helping render a timely and specific diagnosis for patients presenting with new-onset oligoarticular arthritis in the emergency setting. In this article, we review the various general and characteristic ultrasound features of crystalline arthropathy as well as the published data in regard to sonographic performance metrics.