Ultrasound is stethoscope of rheumatology

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Ultrasound is stethoscope of rheumatology

Staff photo by Clint Wolf Dr. Dimitrios Fanopoulos, a rheumatologist,

scans his finger using ultrasound equipment at the Beloit Clinic.

By Clint Wolf

News Editor

When most people hear of ultrasound, they think of expectant parents

getting their first glimpse of their baby in the womb.

But, there are other uses of this technology that can bring relief

from some very painful conditions people suffer every day.

Dr. Dimitrios Fanopoulos, a rheumatologist at Beloit Clinic and

Beloit Memorial Hospital, has been using ultrasound for the past four

to five years diagnosing arthritis and other painful conditions.

Fanopoulos traveled to Europe to learn more about using ultrasound to

diagnose and treat ailments of the joints, and he served an

internship at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit in an effort to

learn how to help his patients with the technology.

Today, he uses the ultrasound technology to help patients with

bursitis, tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel and more.

“I was frustrated to see a patient with joint pain and not knowing

what was inside,” he said.

Prior to using ultrasound, Fanopoulos would feel the patient's

joints, in fingers or elsewhere, looking for signs of built-up fluid.

Fluid can build up in joints in conditions such as bursitis and

tendinitis. To relieve pain, a needle would be used to drain the

fluid, but before, Fanopoulos would use touch, feeling of warmth and

other indicators to determine where the fluid was to drain.

With ultrasound, he knows precisely where the fluid build-up is and

where to inject a needle to drain fluid. More than that, new software

allows him to view ultrasound images on his computer, giving precise

measurements of areas of inflammation or agitated nerves.

He also can use the ultrasound to guide him when injecting steroids

to relieve some conditions in his patients. It has become very useful

as a guiding tool for Fanopoulos.

“It is being called the stethoscope of rheumatology,” Fanopoulos

said. “It's an assistance to my practice for more accurate diagnosis.”

Ultrasound is completely non-invasive. No needles or incisions are

needed. There also is no radiation involved, so patients experience

no side-effects. An added bonus of the technology is the patient can

see the scans of damaged or inflamed joints at the same time the

doctor sees them.

Fanopoulos went to Rome and Milan to receive training in the use of

ultrasound for his patients. He continues to go to training workshops

to keep up to date on the latest advances in diagnosis and new

technology. He noted, not many rheumatologists are using ultrasound

as a diagnostic tool yet. Fanopoulos was the first rheumatologist in

Wisconsin to use ultrasound to diagnose conditions in his patients.

“There are some radiology departments that are doing it, but not so

much in this area,” Fanopoulos said.

The ultrasound also can show where there is erosion of bones or

calcium deposits, which can cause problems for patients. Tissue

tears, such as in rotator cuff injuries, can be detected.

This week, Fanopoulos plans to go to another workshop in Washington,

D.C. presented by the American Institute of Ultrasound. He guesses he

has done more than 3,000 ultrasound scans in the last five years.

Now, he is looking to the future. He said there is developing

ultrasound technology that will give doctors a three-dimensional view

of joints.

http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2006/03/20/news/news20.txt