Article

Ultrasound detection of bone erosions in rheumatoid arthritis: a comparison to routine radiographs of the hands and feet.

Department of Radiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 619 19th St. South, Birmingham, AL 35249-6830, USA.
Skeletal Radiology (impact factor: 1.54). 03/2004; 33(2):80-4. DOI:10.1007/s00256-003-0693-2 pp.80-4
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT To determine if ultrasound (US) of selected joints in the hands and feet can detect more erosions than radiography and establish the presence of erosive disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Eighty joints in ten patients with RA and 40 joints in five healthy control subjects, who were age, gender and ethnicity-matched to the patients with arthritis, were prospectively studied with radiographs and sonography. Conventional radiographs of the hands and feet were obtained. US examinations of the 2nd and 5th metacarpal-phalangeal (MCP) joints of the hands, and the 1st and 5th metatarsal-phalangeal (MTP) joints of the feet were performed. Radiographs and US exams were independently graded for the presence of erosions.
None of the control subjects had erosions. US detected erosions in 17/80, and radiographs detected erosions in 6/80 joints assessed with both modalities. US detected all erosions seen by radiographs in these selected joints. Erosive disease was present in the radiographs of seven of ten RA patients. US established erosive disease in eight of ten RA patients. US determined erosive disease in two of the three patients without radiographic erosions.
US of the MTP and MCP joints in RA can detect erosions not seen with radiography and may be complementary to radiography in establishing the presence of erosive disease in early RA.

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    Article: Ultrasound of the small joints of the hands and feet: current status.
    E G McNally
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    Annals of the rheumatic diseases 06/2008; 67(5):651-5. · 8.11 Impact Factor
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Keywords

40 joints
 
5th metacarpal-phalangeal
 
5th metatarsal-phalangeal
 
control subjects
 
Conventional radiographs
 
Erosive disease
 
healthy control subjects
 
joints
 
MCP joints
 
modalities
 
patients
 
RA patients
 
radiographic erosions
 
radiographs
 
radiography
 
rheumatoid arthritis
 
selected joints
 
sonography
 
three patients
 
ultrasound
 

Robert Lopez-Ben