What is a Knee Arthrogram?

An Arthrogram of the knee uses CT technology to obtain pictures of your knee joint after a contrast material has been injected into the joint. This creates images of the soft tissue structures of your joint, such as tendons, ligaments, muscles and cartilage which are not always visible without administering contrast material. Knee Arthrograms are a useful diagnostic tool.

What happens during a Knee Arthrogram?

A. Before your procedure

What to bring

• Your request form
• Any relevant previous imaging
• Your Medicare card and any concession cards

Preparation – In the week before your procedure

You must advise us of any blood-thinning medication your are taking such as Aspirin, Warfarin, Plavix or Iscover and stop taking it for a period of time before your treatment. Please contact us for advice.

Preparation – the day of your procedure

There is no specific preparation and you may eat and drink as desired before and after the procedure. You will be asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding your health status, medication, and any known allergies. If there is any chance you may be pregnant, please inform us before your scan. You may also be asked to change into a gown and remove some jewellery for your scan.

B. During your Knee Arthrogram

Procedure

When you are transferred to the CT room you will be made comfortable on the examination table.

Your skin will then be cleaned and a local anaesthetic will be injected into site. This may temporary sting until the skin becomes numb (up to 30 seconds).

The radiologist will then insert a fine needle into your knee joint. Following insertion, the needle will be guided into position using CT or Ultrasound, and between 2-10mls of X-ray dye (contrast) will be applied to the needle insertion site. The team will then take a CT scan of the joint.

Your procedure will take about 40 minutes.

Risks and side effects

A CT-guided Knee Arthrogram is a very low risk procedure. Find out about CT Risks and Side Effects.

Other risks associated with this procedure include:

• Pain or discomfort at the needle insertion site, or bruising after the procedure.
• Temporary numbness or a tingling sensation can sometimes occur.
• Inflammation which may involve redness or swelling and increased pain after 48 hours. Increasing pain or redness needs to be promptly reported to your referring doctor.
• You may feel faint or dizzy shortly after the procedure.

Any medical procedure can potentially be associated with unpredictable risks.

Who will perform my Knee Arthrogram?

Our specialist medical imaging team will perform your Knee Arthrogram.

What happens after a Knee Arthrogram?

How do I get my results?

After your appointment, the information from your scan is processed and interpreted by Envision’s medical imaging team before delivery of a report to your doctor.

Post-procedural Information

At the end of the procedure the needle will be withdrawn carefully from the insertion point and a band aid applied. You should be able to go about your daily activities after your appointment.

You should arrange for someone to collect you from your appointment.

Post-Procedural Information