How to Assess Gout through Ultrasound

Sara Nysom Christiansan demonstrates how to compare and the the treatment process of a patient suffering from gout.

The patient that Sara will be assessing has been receiving treatment for gout a little over two years. To make sure that the treatment the patient is receiving is working, an ultrasound can be performed to compare the joint from the first time it was diagnosed to the present.

The ultrasound machine that Sara is using allows her to pull up two images at the same time; the image on the right being the “before” image from two years ago, and the image on the left being the present, real-time image of the patient's joint suffering from gout.

In the present ultrasound image, it’s clear that the treatment the patient has been receiving is working well because it’s clear there has been a reduction in urate deposits.

Not only is an ultrasound scan useful for medical professionals to check up on their patients but it’s also extremely beneficial for the patient’s to see how far their treatment has come: especially if the patient can’t see a physical improvement.