Patient Positioning
Patient seated in front of the examiner, hand palm up resting on a examination table.
Probe Positioning
Place the transducer on a longitudinal planes over the joints and tendons of interest. Do not use any pressure – especially while looking for effusion or using doppler mode. Use dynamic scanning to check the movement of the tendons during flexion / extension or against resistance to check the pulleys.
mcj: metacarpophalangeal joint
pij: proximal interphalangeal joint
dij: distal interphalangeal joint
fdp: flexor digitorum profundus tendon
Note: check the flexor tendons of interest for effusion, synovial hypertrophy, neovascularity (doppler mode), ganglion cysts (pulley?) or tears. The integrity of the tendon system (including pulleys) can be checked dynamically with active flexion against resistance.