Summary

Ultrasound to identify joint effusions is widely used to assess those children presenting with a limp, refusal to weight bear or with a painful or swollen joint. PoCUS can be used to rapidly evaluate these children at the bedside thereby expediting management. This may include early referral to orthopedics. The use of PoCUS has also been shown to improve the ability of physicians performing arthrocentesis on joint effusions. PoCUS improves accuracy and decreases patient pain, without increasing the length of time required to perform the procedure [11,12].