OBJECTIVES To develop a consensus-based ultrasound (US) definition and quantification system for synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS A multistep, iterative approach was used to: (1) evaluate the baseline agreement on defining and scoring synovitis according to the usual practice of different sonographers, using both grey-scale (GS) (synovial hypertrophy (SH) and effusion) and powe...

Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) is a childhood hip disorder of ischemic osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Hip joint synovitis is a common feature of LCPD, but the nature and pathophysiology of the synovitis remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the chronicity of the synovitis and the inflammatory cytokines present in the synovial fluid at an active stage of LCPD. Serial ...

The interferon system of 20 children aged 2 to 11 years (mean 5 years), diagnosed as having transient synovitis of the hip by clinical criteria, was studied. The mean blood interferon concentration was significantly higher than that of normal children, and the incidence of an antiviral state of cells (in 78% of patients) was also significantly higher than in the control group. These findings ar...

OBJECTIVE To test whether methotrexate prolongs the effect of intra-articular corticosteroid in suppressing knee synovitis. METHODS Thirty-eight patients with chronic knee synovitis were randomly allocated to receive intra-articular triamcinolone hexacetonide with or without methotrexate. Variables were knee pain and swelling, assessor and patient global assessment, morning stiffness, ESR and...

RA is a condition of multiple synovitis. Abnormal synovial vascularity (SV) is evident with the onset of joint inflammation. The idea of estimating the level of joint inflammation by sonographic SV was conceived with the advancement of US. The ideal treatment strategy, called treat to target (T2T), requires early diagnosis and assessment of RA. Detection of positive SV can be useful for proving...

INTRODUCTION Pigmented villonodular synovitis is a disease which affects the synovial joints and tendon sheaths. Although the exact aetiological factors are not known, we believe that recurrent haemarthrosis has a role in the aetiology of this condition. CASE PRESENTATION A 62-year-old Caucasian man presented with gradually worsening pain and stiffness in his right knee. The patient was on an...

Objective: To identify classifiers in images obtained with sagittal laser optical tomography (SLOT) that can be used to distinguish between joints affected and not affected by synovitis. Methods: 78 SLOT images of proximal interphalangeal joints II–IV from 13 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were compared with ultrasound (US) images and clinical examination (CE). SLOT images showing the spati...

BACKGROUND Ultrasonography allows assessment of soft tissue structures and has become a valued tool for diagnosing synovitis. OBJECTIVE To assess the learning curve for ultrasonography in evaluating synovitis of the small joints in rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS Metacarpophalangeal (MCP), metatarsophalangeal (MTP), and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints were evaluated using ultrasonograph...

OBJECTIVES Evaluate relationships between MRI and clinical/laboratory/radiographic findings in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS 637 methotrexate-naive patients (GO-BEFORE) and 444 patients with active RA despite methotrexate (GO-FORWARD) were randomly assigned to subcutaneous placebo + methotrexate, golimumab 100mg + placebo, golimumab 50mg + methotrexate, or golimumab 100mg + methotrexate ...

HYPOTHESIS We hypothesized that patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears would have greater synovial inflammation compared with those without rotator cuff tear pathology, with gene expression relating to histologic findings. METHODS Synovial sampling was performed in 19 patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears (RTC group) and in 11 patients without rotator cuff pathology (contro...