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Juvenile idiopathic arthritis - the role of imaging from a rheumatologist’s perspective

  • Minisymposium: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
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Abstract

Alongside recent advances in treatment strategies for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), paediatric rheumatologists have taken increasing interest in the use of imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and musculoskeletal ultrasound, by providing more detailed information on disease activity than clinical examination and conventional radiography (CR), have become helpful diagnostic and managerial tools. The growing skeleton, however, with changing appearances over time, is still challenging in the establishment of valid scoring systems for pathological changes. Defining child- and age-specific reference standards is therefore a highly prioritized issue. The aim of this article is to raise awareness among radiologists of the substantial role that imaging can play to optimize the management of JIA patients and to describe the state-of-the-art validation process of imaging as an outcome measure. A closer collaboration between radiologists and pediatric rheumatologists is crucial to define a scheduled workflow for imaging in JIA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Pediatria II, Reumatologia, Largo Gaslini, 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy

    Clara Malattia

  2. Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Riabilitazione, Oftalmologia, Genetica e Scienze Materno-Infantili (DINOGMI), University of Genova, Genoa, Italy

    Clara Malattia

  3. Pediatric Rheumatology Research Institute, Bad Bramstedt, Germany

    Nikolay Tzaribachev

  4. Department of Pediatric Hematology, Immunology, Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases, Emma Children’s Hospital AMC University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    J. Merlijn van den Berg

  5. Rheumatology Division, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy

    Silvia Magni-Manzoni

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  1. Clara Malattia
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  3. J. Merlijn van den Berg
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  4. Silvia Magni-Manzoni
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Correspondence to Clara Malattia.

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Malattia, C., Tzaribachev, N., van den Berg, J.M. et al. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis - the role of imaging from a rheumatologist’s perspective. Pediatr Radiol 48, 785–791 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-017-4014-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-017-4014-7

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