Outcomes of Visualized Puncture Needle and Small Needle-Knife Therapy in Primary Frozen Shoulder Based on Multimodal Ultrasound Imaging

OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes of visualized puncture needle and small needle-knife therapy in 68 patients with primary frozen shoulder. METHOD: Sixty-eight patients with primary frozen shoulder were recruited and randomly divided into two groups, with 34 patients in each group. In the treatment group, an ultrasound-guided 18G-PTC puncture needle was inserted into the joint space, followed by a liquid injection until complete lysis and dissociation of the intraarticular adhesion were achieved. Then, the lesser tuberosity of the coracoid and humerus, the intertubercular groove of the humerus, and the greater tuberosity of the humerus were stripped, first vertically and then horizontally, by an amplitude ≦ 0.5 cm per treatment. This treatment procedure was performed once per week, and each cycle covered three treatments. The small needle-knife therapy was set as a control, and the efficacy was observed. RESULT: The visualized puncture needle significantly outperformed the small needle-knife therapy in overall efficacy, UCLA scores of the shoulder joint, shoulder mobility, and muscle elasticity and thickness. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of the visualized puncture needle for primary frozen shoulder was better compared to the small needle-knife therapy. The former was safer and more convenient, which caused less pain to patients and took effect more quickly. In a word, the visualized puncture needle for primary frozen shoulder is worthy of clinical popularization.