A systematic review and meta-analysis on the use of diagnostic ultrasound in guiding corticosteroid injections for shoulder pain (subacromial/ subdeltoid bursa) Authors Aamir Safdar Khan Department of Rheumatology, Worcester Acute Hospitals, Worcester, England Munir Khan Department of Pain Management, Alton Pain Clinic, Alton, England Muhammad Siddiqui Department of Population Health, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Saskatoon, Canada Amna Aamir Khan Ziauddin College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan Mubarra Rao Independent Consultant, Karachi, Pakistan DOI: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.25-20274 Keywords: Ultrasonography, Interventional ultrasound, Shoulder pain, Corticosteroids, Shoulder impingement syndromes Abstract Objective: To assess the efficacy of diagnostic ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injections in subacromial/subdeltoid bursa in the management of shoulder pain. Method: The systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted from November 2023 to February 2024 in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines, and comprised search on Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Excerpta Medica dataBASE, Scopus and PubMed databases for randomised controlled and/or clinical trials involving adult patients with shoulder pain/subacromial impingement/bursitis, comparing ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injections versus blind injections, and published in the English language between January 2003 and August 2023. Quality assessment was performed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale, and meta-analysis was performed using MedCalc software. Results: Of the 72 full-text articles assessed, 11(15.3%) were analysed. There was a definite short-term effectiveness of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injections in reducing pain, as assessed by visual analogue scale scores (p <0.001 at 6 weeks; p<0.05 at 12 week and 33 week) and improved range of motion in flexion, abduction, internal and external rotation (p<0.001-0.05). While meta-analysis confirms significant pooled effects for pain scores and range of motion outcomes at 6 weeks, long-term efficacy remained inconclusive due to heterogeneity across studies and limited long-term follow-up research on the subject. Conclusion: Evidence supported short-term efficacy of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injections for shoulder pain management, but robust trials with extended follow-up periods and larger cohorts are needed to establish their long-term effectiveness. Key Words: Ultrasonography, Interventional ultrasound, Shoulder pain, Corticosteroids, Shoulder impingement syndromes. Downloads Full Text Article Published 2025-11-22 How to Cite Aamir Safdar Khan, Munir Khan, Muhammad Siddiqui, Amna Aamir Khan, & Mubarra Rao. (2025). A systematic review and meta-analysis on the use of diagnostic ultrasound in guiding corticosteroid injections for shoulder pain (subacromial/ subdeltoid bursa). Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 75(12), 1937–1947. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.25-20274 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 75 No. 12 (2025): DECEMBER Section SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS License Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.