Publications by authors named "P Falsetti"
Aims: ultrasound (US) diagnosis of enthesitis is burdened of low specificity, especially when it is performed in patients with psoriasis (PsO) but without clinical psoriatic arthritis (PsA), because of mechanical, dysmetabolic and age-related concurrent enthesopatic changes. We propose a novel US score to quantify the cortical-entheseal bone remodeling burden of several peripheral entheses, aiming to improve the specificity of US for PsA-related enthesitis, and to evaluate its diagnostic value in PsO patients with subsequent diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsO/PsA).
Methods: clinical and US data of 119 consecutive patients with moderate/severe PsO and nonspecific musculoskeletal symptoms, were included in this retrospective study.
Article Synopsis
- Tocilizumab (TCZ) is effective in treating giant cell arteritis (GCA), but the best treatment duration remains unclear, as stopping early may lead to relapses while prolonged treatment raises safety concerns.
- In this study, 38 GCA patients treated with TCZ and a fast tapering schedule of prednisone (up to 62.5 mg) were followed for 24 months, revealing a 29% incidence of adverse events (AEs), with only one classified as serious.
- The findings indicate that long-term TCZ treatment combined with low-dose corticosteroids can achieve clinical remission in GCA patients, with only a small percentage (8%) experiencing minor relapses after an
Purpose: The shoulder pain is one of the main causes that lead the patient to medical evaluation. Today, the ultrasound (US) represents an essential tool in the orthopaedical, rheumatological and rehabilitative setting to address the musculoskeletal causes of pain. Amongst the commonest causes of shoulder complains lay the frequent subacromial chronic bursitis (SACB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActive sacroiliitis and sacroiliac joint dysfunction represent a common cause of low back pain in the population and are cause of patients' quality of life reduction and disability worldwide. The use of musculoskeletal ultrasound allows to easily identify the sacroiliac joints and to study every pathological condition affecting its most dorsal part; moreover, musculoskeletal ultrasound allows to guide highly effective injective procedures aimed at improving patients' symptoms and enhance their well-being. This paper aims to briefly explain for the musculoskeletal sonographer the anatomy and biomechanics of the sacroiliac joints, the correct ultrasound scanning method for their visualization and the most appropriate ultrasound guided injection technique to help dealing with the diagnostic and management of sacroiliac joint pain in the everyday scenario.
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