Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

Title abbreviation: Adv Clin Exp Med
JCR Impact Factor (IF) – 2.1
5-Year Impact Factor – 2.2
Scopus CiteScore – 3.4 (CiteScore Tracker 3.7)
Index Copernicus  – 161.11; MNiSW – 70 pts

ISSN 1899–5276 (print)
ISSN 2451-2680 (online)
Periodicity – monthly

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Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

2018, vol. 27, nr 9, September, p. 1303–1307

doi: 10.17219/acem/69133

Publication type: review

Language: English

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The role of ultrasonography in the diagnostic criteria for rheumatoid arthritis and monitoring its therapeutic efficacy

Sławomir Jeka1,A, Marta Dura2,3,A,B, Paweł Zuchowski4,A,D, Beata Zwierko2,B, Marzena Waszczak-Jeka5,B

1 Clinic of Rheumatology and Systemic Connective Tissue Disorders, Jan Biziel University Hospital No. 2, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, UMK in Toruń, Poland

2 Department of Radiology, Jan Biziel University Hospital No. 2, Bydgoszcz, Poland

3 Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland

4 Clinic of Rheumatology and Systemic Connective Tissue Disorders, Jan Biziel University Hospital No. 2, Bydgoszcz, Poland

5 Centre for Clinical Trials, Warszawa, Poland

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic disease of connective tissue. It is characterized by symmetrical multiple joint involvement and extra-articular symptoms. Modern RA treatment methods place a particular emphasis on the earliest possible diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment. Currently, ultrasonography (US) is the key imaging test performed in RA patients. However, despite the general acknowledgement of its role in the assessment of disease activity, US was not included in the applicable ACR/EULAR criteria. This is due to the lack of strictly defined criteria for US evaluation and the interpretation of test results. In addition, the absence of a correlation between the common DAS/DAS28 disease activity score and ultrasound assessment of joints makes developing new diagnostic criteria difficult. The objective of this article is to review recent scientific reports on the use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis and monitoring of RA and to indicate current problems associated with the interpretation of test results and the comparison with applicable scores of disease activity.

Key words

rheumatoid arthritis, ultrasonography, synovitis

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