Joint Aspirations
Sometimes it is necessary to examine or remove types of fluid that have built up around a joint within the body. This is called a joint aspiration and may be required in a number of joint conditions where it can be either therapeutic or diagnostic, or both. These can include:
- Septic arthritis; where a sample of the synovial fluid is aspirated for culture and sensitivity, this can include also pus that may be present when the is destruction of joint structures
- Haemarthrosis; where blood in aspirated from joints and blood itself is inflammatory
- Crystal arthropathy; where identification of crystal involvement in the joints is determined
- Large joint effusions; where aspiration of the fluid rapidly relieves pain and improves mobility
Joint Injection
On the other hand, sometimes it may be necessary to inject certain drugs including steroids and anaesthetic to reduce inflammation in acutely inflamed structures. These can include:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Other conditions where it is widely used include psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and pyrophosphate arthritis.
Soft tissue injection
These injections can also be used on soft tissue structures and are useful because they are therapeutic and also because they can help differentiate between problems. These can include:
- Shoulder impingement
- Synovitis
- Tenosynovitis
- Bursitis
- Tendinitis
- Nerve compression
Is there any preparation?
- Contact your doctor before you stop taking any medication.
- Please bring any previous imaging study results (MRI, CT, x-rays) such as films, reports, or CD-ROMs, if available.
- It would be best if you had someone to drive you as you may be unable to drive after the aspiration/injection
- Please notify us if there is a chance you may be pregnant.
Procedure
Depending on the area, you may be asked to change in to a gown for your procedure. These procedures can be performed using a variety of imaging techniques and will be discussed with you when you make your appointment. These can include Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound, and CT to ensure that the needle is in the correct position for either the aspiration or injection. An injection of local anaesthetic at the site will be done, before another needle is inserted. this will be used to either aspirate or inject the area. Once positioned by use of the imaging modality, fluid will be drawn in the case of an aspiration, or a combination of steroid and anaesthetic will be used in the case of an injection. You may notice some discomfort as the procedure is done.
Sometimes you may notice the benefits quite quickly, while other times it may take a longer period of time. The following describes some of the things you may experience after your procedure;
- Worsening of pain next day
- Sepsis
- Local skin atrophy
- Facial flushing