Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in clinical remission with positive power Doppler signal in joint ultrasonography have an increased rate of clinical flare: a prospective study.

Background: Ultrasonography (US) studies carried out on joints of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients in clinical remission demonstrate the presence of subclinical synovitis. The significance of subclinical synovitis and the positive power Doppler (PD) signal on US in JIA in clinical remission is not well understood. The objectives of this study were to assess whether the changes detected by US in patients with JIA in clinical remission can predict disease flare and to evaluate factors associated with flare and joint damage over 30 months of follow-up.

Spondyloarthropathy: diagnostic imaging criteria for the detection of sacroiliitis.

Diagnostic imaging is crucial to the diagnosis and monitoring of spondyloarthropathies. Magnetic resonance imaging is the most relevant tool for the early detection of sacroiliitis, allowing the institution of therapeutic strategies to impede the progression of the disease. This study illustrates the major criteria for a magnetic resonance imaging-based diagnosis of spondyloarthropathy.

Effectiveness of imaging-guided intra-articular injection: a comparison study between fluoroscopy and ultrasound.

Objective: Compare the effectiveness of ultrasound and fluoroscopy to guide intra-articular injections (IAI) in selected cases.

Material And Methods: A prospective study in our outpatient clinics at the Rheumatology Division at Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Brazil, was conducted to compare the short-term (4 weeks) effectiveness of ultrasound and fluoroscopy-guided IAI in patients with rheumatic diseases. Inclusion criteria were: adults with refractory synovitis undergoing IAI with glucocorticoid.

Interobserver reliability in ultrasound assessment of rheumatoid wrist joints.

Objective: To evaluate interobserver reliability in the ultrasound assessment of synovitis in the radiocarpal (RC), midcarpal (MC) and ulnocarpal (UC) joints in RA.

Methods: Ultrasound examinations of 295 rheumatoid wrist joints were performed over a three month period. The RC, MC and UC joints were examined using dorsal longitudinal ultrasound scans.

Ultrasound characteristics of gouty tophi in the olecranon bursa and evaluation of their reproducibility.

Objectives: To describe the ultrasound characteristics of gouty tophi in the olecranon bursa and to evaluate their reproducibility.

Methods: A prospective study of the ultrasound features of 35 sites of tophi nodulations in the elbows of 31 men (mean 54.6 years).