Record Status This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database. Citation Musculoskeletal ultrasonography for diagnosis of low back pain. Lansdale: HAYES, Inc.. Health Technology Brief Publication. 2013 Authors' conclusions It is estimated that 80% of people have low back pain (LBP) at some time in their lives, and 5% to 10% develop chronic symptoms. The differential diagnosis is complex since etiologies include trauma, neurologic and degenerative disc disease, spondyloarthropathies, and other musculoskeletal and inflammatory conditions. LBP may not always be accurately diagnosed by the reference standards, physical examination, and plain x-rays. Other commonly used imaging tests for diagnosis of LBP are myelography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI diagnoses some causes of LBP but may not be available in all facilities; is time-consuming; and cannot be used in patients with metal implants, pacemakers, or claustrophobia. The advantages of ultrasonography (US) are its portability, noninvasiveness, and availability; and it allows for an interactive and dynamic evaluation of musculoskeletal structures while avoiding the hazards of radiation exposure. In addition, there are no major contraindications associated with US for the majority of patients. These benefits of US have led to investigations of its utility for the diagnosis of LBP. Indexing Status Subject indexing assigned by CRD MeSH Humans; Low Back Pain; Ultrasonography Language Published English Country of organisation United States English summary An English language summary is available. Address for correspondence HAYES, Inc., 157 S. Broad Street, Suite 200, Lansdale, PA 19446, USA. Tel: 215 855 0615; Fax: 215 855 5218 Email: hayesinfo@hayesinc.com AccessionNumber 32014000393 Date abstract record published 20/02/2014 |