The AIMS2-SF: a short form of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2. French Quality of Life in Rheumatology Group.

Objective: To develop a short form of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2 (AIMS2) questionnaire, preserving content validity as the priority criterion.

Methods: A 2-step reduction procedure was used: 1) Delphi technique, with 1 panel of patients and 1 panel of experts each selecting 1 set of items independently; and 2) nominal group technique, where members of both panels reached consensus on the final selection of items, using information derived from item analysis. Psychometric properties of the AIMS2-Short Form (AIMS2-SF) and AIMS2 were compared using data from a cohort of 127 rheumatoid arthritis patients who completed the AIMS2 twice prior to the initiation of methotrexate (MTX) treatment and 3 months post-initiation of MTX treatment.

[Clinical pitfalls in the diagnosis of microcrystalline arthritis].

Diagnosis of microcrystalline arthritis often is based on joint punctures, performed whenever possible. The clinical features of the crises may suggest diagnosis, but is not decisive. The course before or during treatment is not indicative and cannot fully exclude infection when the patient is seen during a crisis; arthritis with one or several microcrystals is possible, as in forms associated with joint infection.

Pubic post-fracture osteolysis simulating a malignancy.

The authors report one case of pubic post-fracture osteolysis, an uncommon and as yet not well understood pathology. It corresponds to an unusual healing of an insufficiency fracture in osteoporotic patients. Its pathogenesis is unclear, but the biomechanical theory seems to be the most convincing.