Services
Joint fluid aspiration
Aspiration draws off, with a fine needle, the excess fluid that has collected in a joint. It relieves the pressure and, through analysis of the fluid, helps establish the cause.
What is it?
A healthy joint contains a small amount of fluid. With inflammation, injury or certain diseases that fluid increases and the joint swells.
During aspiration the excess is drawn off with a needle. Where useful, the fluid is sent to the laboratory.
The procedure is both treatment and diagnosis. The appearance and analysis of the fluid give important information about the cause.
Who is it for?
People whose joint — most often the knee — is swollen, tense and painful.
Cases where the cause of the swelling is unclear: to separate inflammation, gout and infection from one another.
People in whom fluid collects on a background of osteoarthritis.
Before an intra-articular injection, so that the medicine is not diluted by the fluid.
When to seek care
- Your knee or another joint is swollen, tense and feels full
- The swelling stops you fully bending and straightening the joint
- The joint is warm, red and severely painful
- The swelling keeps coming back
If joint swelling comes with fever and shivering, seek care without delay. That can indicate infection and needs urgent assessment.
Why it matters
Much of the pain comes from the pressure inside the joint. Drawing the fluid off often brings relief immediately.
More importantly, analysis of the fluid can separate inflammatory arthritis, gout and infection. The treatment of those three is entirely different.
Taking tablets alone does not reveal the cause. Fluid analysis sometimes settles the diagnosis in a single step.
How it is done
- Preparation. If you take blood-thinning medicines, say so beforehand. There is no need to fast.
- Examination. The joint is examined and the needle entry point identified.
- Antisepsis. The skin is cleaned under sterile conditions. Local anaesthetic is used where appropriate.
- Drawing off. A fine needle draws the fluid into a syringe. As the swelling reduces, relief is felt.
- The outcome. Where useful, the fluid is sent for analysis. If indicated, medicine can be given through the same entry point.
The procedure usually takes a few minutes. As the fluid is drawn you feel pressure in the joint and a mild sting.
Fluid can collect again. That is a sign of how important it is to control the underlying disease.
Aspiration is an invasive procedure and carries risks: pain and bruising at the site, bleeding into the joint, and rarely infection. The fluid may collect again. The risks that apply to you are explained individually before the procedure and your consent is taken.
Where it is done
The procedure is carried out in Baku, at StarLab Clinic, under sterile conditions. Where needed, the fluid is sent to the clinic's laboratory.
Address: 20 Yanvar str. 88, 5th microdistrict, Baku, opposite the Qızıltac wedding hall.
Contact: +994 55 550 55 69.
Performed under sterile conditions and where indicated, the procedure does not harm the joint. On the contrary, reducing the pressure is good for it.
Returning fluid can mean the underlying disease is not yet controlled. In that case the treatment plan is reviewed; simply drawing the fluid off again is not enough.
To look at the cells, at crystals and at signs of infection. That analysis helps separate gout, inflammatory arthritis and infection.
Related pages
Intra-articular corticosteroid (cortisone) injection
A steroid placed directly into an inflamed joint, to reduce pain and swelling.
Gout — diagnosis and treatment
Sudden, very severe pain in the big toe, starting at night. Caused by uric acid crystals.
Osteoarthritis — diagnosis and treatment
Joint wear, often called "salt deposits" in everyday speech. Most often the knee, hands and hip.