Olecranon Bursitis (Subscribe)  

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to describe the MRI characteristics of septic and nonseptic olecranon bursitis.
CONCLUSION: Septic and nonseptic olecranon bursitis present with a considerable overlap of MRI findings without statistically significant differences. Septic olecranon bursitis can be excluded in the absence of bursal and soft-tissue enhancement.
MRI characteristics of olecranon bursitis. Floemer...

# Mechanism
  1. Olecranon bursa overlies olecranon process
  2. Causes of acute olecranon bursa inflammation
   1. Direct trauma (often repetitive)
   2. Rheumatoid Arthritis
   3. Gout
   4. Pseudogout
# Symptoms and Signs
  1. Swelling over olecranon tip (usually painless)
  2. Bursa sac fills with blood or clear fluid

When a bursa becomes inflamed, it may be categorized as either septic or aseptic. Noninfective or aseptic bursitis is a sterile inflammation, which may occur secondary to acute trauma, overuse injury, crystal deposition (eg, gout, pseudogout), or systemic disease (eg, rheumatoid arthritis [RA], uremia, systemic lupus erythematosus).
Aseptic cases account for...

Forty-seven patients with traumatic olecranon bursitis were evaluated after a mean follow-up of 31 months (range 6 to 62 months). Twenty-two patients treated with bursal aspiration had delayed recovery and no complications of therapy. Twenty-five patients treated with intrabursal injection of 20 mg of triamcinolone hexacetonide had rapid recovery, usually...

The effectiveness of a conservative outpatient based approach was assessed by an outcome study in a prospective case series. Consecutive patients attending an emergency department with acute swelling of the olecranon or prepatellar bursa were managed according to a structured approach, subjective and objective outcomes being assessed after two to...

In this article we briefly review the anatomy of the olecranon and prepatellar bursae and discuss the clinical features and treatment of both septic and non-septic bursitis.
Olecranon and prepatellar bursitis. Diagnosis and treatment. McAfee JH, Smith DL. West J Med. 1988 Nov;149(5):607-10.

Olecranon bursitis is condition in which there is inflammation of the bursa that overlies the olecranon process at the proximal aspect of the ulna. The bursa is located between the ulna and the skin at the posterior tip of the elbow; because of its superficial location, the olecranon bursa is...

Osteoarticular diseases are frequent complications observed in chronic haemodialysis patients. Aetiologies of articular manifestations are numerous, including secondary hyperparathyroidism, crystal arthropathy such as gout and hydroxyapatite deposition, amyloidosis, aluminum overload and infectious processes. We report here swelling of olecranon bursa observed over a 9-month period (during years 1999 and 2000)...

Notes on olecranon bursitis

Olecranon bursitis is relatively common. One third of episodes are septic. Most of the remainder are non-septic, with occasional rheumatological causes. Trauma can cause both septic and non-septic olecranon bursitis. Clinical features are helpful in separating septic from non-septic olecranon bursitis, but there may be local erythema in both. Aspiration...

If septic bursitis is suspected the antistapylococcal antibiotics should be started. Aspiration may be useful in determining when to stop this treatment. Best evidence topic report.
The role of diagnostic needle aspiration in olecranon bursitis. Choudhery V. J Accid Emerg Med. 1999 Jul;16(4):282-3.