Retrocalcaneal Bursa

This is a free supplement to The Resident’s Manual of Ultrasound-Guided Procedures.

It’s incredibly important that you are not within the Achilles tendon when you do this injection. There is a nonzero risk of Achilles tendon rupture, even when done properly.

The moving hyperechoic signal just deep to the Achilles tendon is the tiny amount of air in the needle. Even if you expel the air from the syringe, there will still be some left within the needle. You can see the artifactual shadow it creates on the surface of the calcaneus. Finally, the out-of-plane needle is the small, stationary hyperechoic dot right next to the calcaneus.

Diagnostic evaluation of the retrocalcaneal bursa.