[Critical evaluation of ultrasound therapy]

Low dose ultrasound has been available for the treatment of various diagnoses since more than half a century. The literature offers a great number of reports with differing results. This review aims at providing a survey of clinical trials investigating low dose ultrasound therapy. Hence there are only few placebo-controlled trials published on the subject. There is some evidence for low dose ultrasound to be effective in the treatment of ulcus cruris and epicondylitis humeri lateralis. For other indications the effectiveness of this therapy lacks of controlled clinical studies and thus no clear conclusion can be drawn at present.