Four indicators and seven joints in ultrasound diagnosis for rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract:

Objective：To explore the value of four indicators of in ultrasound diagnosis for rheumatoid arthritis（RA）. Methods：Totally 77 suspected RA patients were enrolled and divided into musculoskeletal ultrasound（MSUS） group and clinical group. MSUS and clinical methods were used respectively to diagnose RA using double-blind method. MSUS was used to detect seven joints including ipsilateral wrist，the second and third metacarpophalangeal joints，the second and third proximal interphalangeal joint，and the second and fifth metatarsophalangeal joints. Synovial hyperplasia，the synovial blood signal，bone erosion and joint effusion of ultrasound were used to diagnose synovial lesions of RA. Both MSUS method and clinical method were compared by comparative analysis. At the same time，these four indicators were scored by the serological indicators. Results：Fifty-five cases of RA and 22 cases of non-RA were di－agnosed by MSUS while 53 cases of RA and 24 cases of non-RA were diagnosed by clinical method. There was no statistical signifi－cance between MSUS method and clinical method in diagnosing RA（P=0.774）. There was a close correlation between sum scores of synovial blood flow，sum score of effusion and erythrocyte sedimentation rate（r=0.739，P=0.000；r=0.564，P=0.000）. Conclusion：Four indicators of MSUS accords with clinical method in the diag－nosis of RA. There is a close correlation between sum scores of synovial blood flow，sum score of effusion and serological indi－cators. MSUS，as a screening method for RA，provides more evi－dences for the diagnosis for RA，therefore should be widely ap－plied.