[Diagnosis of hereditary angioedema after thirty years of clinical manifestations].

Introduction: Diagnosis and treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) are necessary to improve the quality of life and even the survival of patients.

Case Report: A 52-year-old woman with angioedema for 30 years, which affects the face, tongue, and hands. It is asymmetric, with neither pruritus nor urticaria, without response to antihistamines or corticosteroids, with spontaneous resolution in 48 hours to 72 hours; with a family history of angioedema.

A little-known cause of painful shoulder: os acromiale.

The incidental discovery of an 'os acromiale' might explain some cases of 'painful shoulder': this is what we have observed in three patients. The purpose of our article is to underline the relevance of the axillary roentgenogram of the shoulder for the correct diagnosis of this anomaly. In all patients the radiographic examination was performed using a computed radiography system; moreover we performed a computed tomographic examination of the acromioclavicular portion of the shoulders with three-dimensional reconstructions.

Radiographic changes in the feet of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. GRISAR (Gruppo Reumatologi Italiani Studio Artrite Reumatoide).

Objective: To assess the value of radiographs of the feet of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the evaluation of RA classification and outcome.

Methods: Within a multicenter therapeutic trial, baseline and 12 month radiographs of the hands, wrists, and feet of 284 patients with early RA (< or = 4 years; mean 1.4; median 0.

Clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis: methodological suggestions for assessing radiographs arising from the GRISAR Study. Gruppo Reumatologi Italiani Studio Artrite Reumatoide.

Objectives: The three x ray assessors of the GRISAR study (blinded to treatment) gave consensual erosion and damage scores to the baseline and 12 month radiographs of 284 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients using three different methods: single readings (blinded as to patient and chronological sequence of the x rays), paired readings (blinded as to sequence), and chronologically ordered paired readings. The aim was to evaluate which of these reading procedures is the most appropriate for clinical trials.

Methods: The progression of the scores obtained using each procedure was compared by means of descriptive statistics, principal components analysis, and intra-patient correlation coefficients of pairs of methods.

The radiological assessment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Antirheumatic therapy has changed from a rather conservative approach towards more aggressive early intervention. Objective measures of the course and outcome of rheumatoid arthritis are essential to understand the disease process and evaluate the therapeutic response. Radiological evaluation fulfils many of the criteria of objectivity: the films provide a permanent record and can be evaluated serially and repeatedly; the changes do not fluctuate with disease activity; and good technique and correct timing can keep the radiation load to a very acceptable level.