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Validity, reproducibility, and responsiveness of a twelve-joint simplified power doppler ultrasonographic assessment of joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis
- Source :
- Arthritis & Rheumatism. 59:515-522
- Publication Year :
- 2008
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2008.
-
Abstract
- Objective To investigate the validity, reproducibility, and responsiveness of a simplified power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) assessment of joint inflammation compared with a comprehensive 44-joint PDUS assessment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who started therapy with a biologic agent. Methods A total of 160 patients with active RA who started a biologic agent were prospectively recruited in 18 Spanish centers. The patients underwent clinical and laboratory assessment and blinded PDUS examination at baseline and 6 months. A PDUS examination of 128 synovial sites in 44 joints was performed. US synovitis and PD signal were semiquantitatively graded from 1 to 3 in all synovial sites. US count and index for synovitis and PD signal were obtained. PDUS intraobserver and interobserver reliability were evaluated. A process of data reduction based on the frequency of involvement of synovial sites by both synovitis and PD signal was conducted. Construct and discriminant validity of a simplified PDUS assessment was investigated. Results A PDUS simplified assessment including 24 synovial sites from 12 joints detected 100% of patients with synovitis and 91% of patients with PD signal. There was a highly significant correlation between the 44-joint count and index for synovitis and PD signal and the 12-joint count and index for synovitis and PD signal at baseline and 6 months (r = 0.84–0.90, P < 0.0005). The smallest detectable difference was lower than the mean change in simplified PDUS variables. Conclusion A 12-joint PDUS assessment of RA joint inflammation may be a valid, feasible method for multicenter monitoring of therapeutic response to biologic agents.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Immunology
Arthritis
Inflammation
Arthritis, Rheumatoid
Power doppler
Rheumatology
Internal medicine
Synovitis
medicine
Humans
Immunology and Allergy
Pharmacology (medical)
Prospective Studies
Prospective cohort study
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Reproducibility
business.industry
Reproducibility of Results
Ultrasonography, Doppler
Middle Aged
medicine.disease
Surgery
Rheumatoid arthritis
Female
medicine.symptom
Nuclear medicine
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15290131 and 00043591
- Volume :
- 59
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Arthritis & Rheumatism
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....1668a159f9fbbd78b8eeba5d99370191