Accuracy of in vivo palpation-guided acromioclavicular joint injection assessed with contrast material and fluoroscopic evaluations.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of in vivo acromioclavicular (AC) joint injections without fluoroscopic guidance and assess whether patient demographics affected the accuracy of injections.

Materials And Methods: A consecutive cohort of patients who presented with painful acromioclavicular joints was prospectively evaluated. All patients had clinical and radiographic evidence of AC arthritis, had failed conservative measures, and thus had received intraarticular corticosteroid injections. All injections were performed by experienced fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists and by blinded digital palpation technique. Accuracy of injections was assessed with biplanar fluoroscopic views.

Results: Forty-one AC injections in 22 males and 16 females with a mean age of 51 years (range 18 to 78) were identified. Twenty-three injections were in the right shoulder and 18 in the left. Only 15 injections were confirmed to be in the intraarticular AC joint, yielding an accuracy of 36.5%. There were no significant differences in the mean age (54 vs. 52 years; p = 0.58), male-to-female ratio (p = 0.73), and side of the injection between the accurate and inaccurate injections, respectively.

Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, the authors encourage the use of image guidance for corticosteroid treatment of the AC joint.

Level Of Evidence: Level IV Therapeutic Case Series.