Year author | Study design | Imaging | Comparator | Disease | No Imaging/ Comparator | Intervention (COMPOUND) | SITE | FAVORS imaging* | FAVORS comparator* | No difference between imaging and comparator* | RoB† |
US vs palpation guidance | |||||||||||
2017 Raeissadat20 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Adhesive capsulitis | 20/21 | Injection (contrast medium, triamcinolone, lidocaine) | shoulder joint | 1 x Efficacy (1,4 w) | – | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) 2 x Safety (BSL,1,4w) 5 x Efficacy (BSL,1,4w) | |
2009 Lee30 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Adhesive capsulitis | 20/20 | injection (triamcinolone, lidocaine, saline hyaluronic acid) | shoulder joint | 2 x Safety (1,2 w) 5 x Efficacy (1,2,3,4 w) | – | – | |
2014 Saeed21 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Shoulder impingement | 41/39 | injection (methylprednisolone, lidocaine) | glenohumeral joint, biceps tendon sheath, AC joint) | 1 x Safety (6,12 w) 2 x Efficacy (6,12 w) | – | 1 x Efficacy (12 w) | |
2004 Naredo33 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Periarticular shoulder disorders | 21/20 | injection (triamcinolone) | SA-SD bursa | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) 1 x Safety (6 w) 1 x Efficacy (6 w) | – | 1 x Safety (BSL) | |
2011 Hashiuchi29 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Anterior shoulder pain | 15/15 | injection (contrast agent) | biceps tendon sheath | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) | – | – | |
2011 Zhang27 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Biceps brachii tendinitis | 53/45 | injection (lidocaine, triamcinolone) | brachial bicipital groove | 1 x Safety (n.a.) 2 x Efficacy (n.a.) | – | 1 x Safety (n.a.) 1 x Efficacy (n.a.) | |
2019 Yiannakopoulos58 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Tendinosis of the long head of the biceps | 22/22 | injection (triamcinolone, bupivacaine) | long biceps tendon | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) 1 x Safety (BSL,4w,6m) 2 x Efficacy (4 w,6m) 1 x Cost/Time (BSL) | – | 1 x Safety (up to 6 m) | |
2014 Chang22 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Scapular pain | 18/18 | injection (triamcinolone, lidocaine) | subscapularis muscle | – | – | 2 x Safety (BSL,1,2,3w,3m) 1 x Efficacy (1 w,3m) | |
2013 Kim23 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Elbow OA | 40/40 | Injection (dexamethasone, lidocaine, contrast medium) | Elbow joint | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) | – | – | |
2008 Luz32 | RCT (letter) | US | Palpation guidance | RA with wrist synovitis | 30/30 | injection (lidocaine, triamcinolone, contrast medium, air) | wrist joint | – | – | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) 2 x Safety (BSL,1,4,8,12w) 1 x Efficacy (BSL,1,4,8,12w) | |
2018 Mitchell19 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Trochanteric bursitis | 15/15 | injection (lidocaine, methylprednisolone) | Trochanteric bursa | 1 x Safety (6 m) | 1 x Cost/Time (n.a.) | 1 x Safety (n.a.) 2 x Efficacy (6 m,12 m) | |
2011 Sibbitt28 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Knee OA | 46/46 | injection (Xylocaine, triamcinolone) | knee joint | 1 x Safety (BSL,2w,6m) 1 x Efficacy (BSL to 6 m) | 1 x Cost/Time (BSL to 12 m) | 1 x Efficacy (BSL to 12 m) 1 x Cost/Time (BSL to 12 m) | |
2011 Bum Park, 26 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Knee OA | 50/49 | injection (hyaluronic acid, contrast dye) | knee joint | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) | – | – | |
2013 Jang24 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Knee joint OA | 41/44/41 | injection (lidocaine, triamcinolone, contrast agent) | knee joint | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) 1 x Safety (BSL) | – | 1 x Cost/Time (BSL) | |
2020 Cankurtaran55 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Chronic knee OA | 11/12 | injection (triamcinolone, lidocaine) | knee joint | 2 x Efficacy (1,3 m) | 3 x Efficacy (3 m) | 2 x Safety (BSL,1m,3m) 6 x Efficacy (1 m,3m) | |
2012 Sibbitt25 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Knee effusion | 42/22 | aspiration, injection (lidocaine, triamcinolone) | knee joint | 2 x Accuracy (BSL) 1 x Safety (BSL,2w) | – | – | |
2009 Im31 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Knee joint OA | 45/44 | injection (Hyaluronic acid, contrast dye) | knee joint | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) | – | – | |
2019 Lundstrom18 | Retrospective cohort study | US | Palpation guidance | Receiving knee injection | 500/647 | injection (hyaluronic acid formulas) | knee joint | 2 x Efficacy (up to 6y) | 1 x Efficacy (up to 6 y) | – | |
2020 Sheth57 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Receiving knee injection | 19/18 | aspiration and injection (depomedrol, lidocaine) | knee joint | 1 x Safety (BSL,4–6 w) 6 x Efficacy (BSL,4–6 w) | – | – | |
2019 Lee56 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Pes anserinus tendinobursitis | 27/27 | injection (triamcinolone, lidocaine) | Pes anserinus bursa | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) 1 x Safety (BSL,1,4w) | – | 1 x Safety (up to 4 w) | |
US vs fluoroscopy | |||||||||||
2016 Petscavage-Thomas14 | Retrospective cohort study | US | Fluo. | Anterior shoulder pain | 51/50 | injection (triamcinolone, lidocaine) | biceps tendon sheath | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) | – | 2 x Safety (1–3 m,n.a.) 1 x Cost/Time (n.a.) | |
2014 Fowler16 | RCT | US | Fluo. | Piriformis syndrome | 15/12 | injection, nerve stimulation (lidocaine, triamcinolone) | piriformis muscle | – | – | 2 x Safety (BSL,1,2w,3m) 2 x Efficacy (BSL,1,2w,3m) 1 x Cost/Time (BSL,1,2w,3m) | |
2016 Soneji13 | RCT | US | Fluo. | Chronic SIJ arthritis | 20/20 | injection (methylprednisolone, bupivacaine, epinephrine) | SIJ | – | 1 x Cost/Time (BSL) | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) 2 x Safety (BSL,1,3d,1w,1,3m) 2 x Efficacy (BSL, 1 m) | |
2014 Jee15 | RCT | US | Fluo. | Non-inflamm. SIJ dysfunction | 55/55 | injection (contrast media, lidocaine, dexamethasone) | SIJ | – | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) | 2 x Safety (BSL,2,12w) 2 x Efficacy (BSL,2,12w) | |
2019 Kim12 | RCT | US | Fluo. | Chronic knee OA | 38/33 | injection, genicular nerve block (lidocaine, triamcinolone) | knee joint | – | – | 2 x Safety (BSL,3,6m) 5 x Efficacy (BSL,3,6m) | |
US/fluoroscopy vs palpation guidance | |||||||||||
2016 Bossert17 | Retro spective cross sectional study | Fluo./US | Palpation guidance | Ankle OA | 29/9/12 | injection (viscosupplement) | ankle | 2 x Efficacy (BSL, n.a.) | – | 1 x Safety (n.a.) 3 x Efficacy (n.a.) | |
Fluoroscopy vs palpation guidance | |||||||||||
2019 Cohen53 | RCT | Fluo. | Palpation guidance | painful SIJ | 64/61 | injection (depomethylprednisolone, bupivacaine) | SIJ | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) 2 x Safety (1,3 m) | – | 3 x Safety (BSL,1,3m) 4 x Efficacy (BSL,1,3m) | |
US vs fluoroscopy vs palpation guidance | |||||||||||
2020 Henne59 | Retrospective cohort study | Fluo. | US, Palpation guidance | Hip OA or FAI | 302 855 | injection (corticosteroid,or hyaluronic acid) | Hip | – | 2 x Cost/Time (post-procedure) | – | |
Fluoroscopy vs CT | |||||||||||
2020 Diffre54 | retrospective cohort study | Fluo. | CT | pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis | 51/37 | Biopsy | disco-vertebral tissue | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) | – | 1 x Safety (n.a.) |
*These columns indicate the number of outcomes studied and their categories (eg, 6 × efficacy indicates that six different outcomes related to the efficacy category were studied), with the respective time point(s) when the outcome was determined (parenthesis). The term ‘BSL’ refers to differences concerning the outcomes at BL. A detailed description of studies and outcomes can be found in supplement.
†A green, yellow, red and black circle indicate low, moderate, high and critical risk of bias, respectively. In case multiple circles are depicted, certain outcomes within one study had different risk of bias.
BSL, baseline; FAI, femoroacetabular impingement; n.a., not applicable; OA, osteoarthritis; PICO, Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RCT, randomised controlled trial; RoB, Risk of Bias; SA-SD, subacromial-subdeltoid bursa; SIJ, sacroiliac joint(s); US, ultrasound.;