Hammer HB, Caporali R. Controversies in rheumatology: Ultrasound for monitoring of RA - do we need it?
Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022;
61:4245-4251. [PMID:
35394009 DOI:
10.1093/rheumatology/keac228]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical joint examination is the cornerstone for evaluation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, since large discrepancies have been shown even between experienced rheumatologists in evaluation of joint inflammation, and tender joints may have limited value in reflecting inflammation, ultrasound has in the last decennials been introduced in the clinical assessments of RA patients. Ultrasound has high accordance with other imaging modalities and enables detection of clinically difficult pathologies and contributes to assessments of joints difficult to evaluate clinically. However, there is no general agreement on the optimal use of ultrasound in rheumatology and the prevalence of machines as well as the level of experience is highly different across the countries. In addition, standardized use of ultrasound in treat-to-target follow-up of RA patients was found not to have any added value. Thus, how to use ultrasound in monitoring of RA patients is open for debate. The present article will discuss the pros and cons for using ultrasound in the clinical setting.
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