Temporal Artery Ultrasound to Diagnose Giant Cell Arteritis: A Practical Guide.

The diagnostic modalities for giant cell arteritis (GCA) have evolved significantly in recent years. Among the different diagnostic tools developed, Doppler ultrasound of the temporal arteries, with a sensitivity and specificity reaching 69% and 82%, respectively, is now recognized as superior and, therefore, is a first-line diagnostic tool in GCA. Moreover, with the increasing development of new ultrasound technologies, the accuracy of Doppler ultrasound in GCA seems to be constantly improving.

Endovenous Celon radiofrequency-induced thermal therapy of great saphenous vein: A retrospective study with a 3-year follow-up.

Objective: Our main objective was to evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy of Celon radiofrequency-induced thermal therapy for endovenous treatment of incompetent great saphenous vein. The secondary objectives were to report on possible short-term side effects and complications.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of 112 consecutive patients included between 2013 and June 2015.

Can ARFI elastometry of the salivary glands contribute to the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome?

Objectives: The diagnosis of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) rests on a converging set of clinical and laboratory findings. Salivary-gland ultrasonography (SGUS) was recently shown to assist in the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of pSS. Our objective here was to measure salivary-gland elasticity using Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) ultrasonography in patients with pSS and to compare the results to those obtained in healthy controls.

Brief Report: Ultrasonographic Assessment of Salivary Gland Response to Rituximab in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate changes in salivary gland echostructure and vascularization after rituximab treatment in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS).

Methods: Twenty-eight patients with primary SS included in the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Tolerance and Efficacy of Rituximab in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (TEARS) trial underwent salivary gland ultrasonography before the first placebo or rituximab infusion and then 6 months later. Trial inclusion criteria were scores of ≥50 mm on at least 2 of 4 visual analog scales (VAS) evaluating dryness, pain, fatigue, and global disease; and recent-onset (<10 years) biologically active primary SS and/or systemic primary SS.

Normal sonoanatomy of the paediatric entheses including echostructure and vascularisation changes during growth.

Objectives: To describe the sonoanatomy of paediatric lower-limb entheses according to age and gender. We studied sites that most commonly involved entheses in spondyloarthritis.

Methods: We studied 41 consecutive healthy children (20 girls, 21 boys; age 2-15 years) divided into four age groups: 2-4 years (n = 9), 5-7 years (n = 11), 8-12 years (n = 12) and 13-15 years (n = 9).

Bare metal stent versus paclitaxel eluting stent for intermediate length femoropopliteal arterial lesions (BATTLE trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Currently, endovascular treatment is indicated to treat femoropopliteal lesions ≤15 cm. However, the Achilles' heel of femoropopliteal endovascular repair remains restenosis. Paclitaxel eluting stents have shown promising results to prevent restenosis in femoropopliteal lesions compared to percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.