Ultrasound Assessment of Psoriatic Onychopathy: A Cross-sectional Study Comparing Psoriatic Onychopathy with Onychomycosis.

This cross-sectional study evaluated the usefulness of an ultrasound technique in assessment of nail changes in 35 patients with psoriatic onychopathy and 25 with nail dystrophy secondary to onychomycosis. All patients underwent 3 examinations: a complete clinical assessment; a nail ultrasound study; and fungal culture. Nails of patients with psoriatic onychopathy presented a thinner nail plate and nail bed, measured by ultrasound, than did those with onychomycosis. The percentage of patients with a power Doppler signal ?2 at nail bed was significantly higher in psoriatic onychopathy than in onychomycosis, and structural bone lesions were more frequent in psoriatic onychopathy than in onychomycosis. These results suggest that the presence of structural damage and high-power Doppler signal are the main ultrasound findings supporting a diagnosis of psoriatic onychopathy.

Recommendations for the use of ultrasound and magnetic resonance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. / Recomendaciones para el uso de la ecografía y la resonancia magnética en pacientes con artritis reumatoide.

OBJECTIVE: To develop evidence-based recommendations on the use of ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Recommendations were generated following a nominal group technique. A panel of experts, consisting of 15 rheumatologists and 3 radiologists, was established in the first panel meeting to define the scope and purpose of the consensus document, as well as chapters, potential recommendations and systematic literature reviews (we used and updated those from previous EULAR documents). A first draft of recommendations and text was generated. Then, an electronic Delphi process (2 rounds) was carried out. Recommendations were voted from 1 (total disagreement) to 10 (total agreement). We defined agreement if at least 70% of experts voted ≥7. The level of evidence and grade or recommendation was assessed using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine Levels of Evidence. The full text was circulated and reviewed by the panel. The consensus was coordinated by an expert methodologist. RESULTS: A total of 20 recommendations were proposed. They include the validity of US and MRI regarding inflammation and damage detection, diagnosis, prediction (structural damage progression, flare, treatment response, etc.), monitoring and the use of US guided injections/biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: These recommendations will help clinicians use US and MRI in RA patients.

Recommendations for the Use of Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance in Patients With Spondyloarthritis, Including Psoriatic Arthritis, and Patients With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. / Recomendaciones para el uso de la ecografía y la resonancia magnética en pacientes con espondiloartritis, incluyendo la artritis psoriásica, y en pacientes con artritis idiopática juvenil.

OBJECTIVE: To develop evidence-based recommendations on the use of ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging in patients with spondyloarthritis, including psoriatic arthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. METHODS: Recommendations were generated following a nominal group technique. A panel of experts (15 rheumatologists and 3 radiologists) was established in the first panel meeting to define the scope and purpose of the consensus document, as well as chapters, potential recommendations and systematic literature reviews (we used and updated those from previous EULAR documents). A first draft of recommendations and text was generated. Then, an electronic Delphi process (2 rounds) was carried out. Recommendations were voted from 1 (total disagreement) to 10 (total agreement). We defined agreement if at least 70% of participants voted≥7. The level of evidence and grade or recommendation was assessed using the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine levels of evidence. The full text was circulated and reviewed by the panel. The consensus was coordinated by an expert methodologist. RESULTS: A total of 12 recommendations were proposed for each disease. They include, along with explanations of the validity of US and magnetic resonance imaging regarding inflammation and damage detection, diagnosis, prediction (structural damage progression, flare, treatment response, etc.), monitoring and the use of US guided injections/biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: These recommendations will help clinicians use US and magnetic resonance imaging in patients with spondyloarthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

ACR/EULAR Definitions of Remission Are Associated with Lower Residual Inflammatory Activity Compared with DAS28 Remission on Hand MRI in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of residual inflammation [synovitis, bone marrow edema (BME), tenosynovitis, and total inflammation] quantified by hand magnetic resonance imaging (h-MRI) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission according to 3 different definitions of clinical remission, and to compare these remission definitions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study. To assess the level of residual MRI inflammation in remission, cutoff levels associated to remission and median scores of MRI residual inflammatory lesions were calculated. Data from an MRI register of patients with RA who have various levels of disease activity were used. These were used for the analyses: synovitis, BME according to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scoring system, tenosynovitis, total inflammation, and disease activity composite measures recorded at the time of MRI. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis was used to identify the best cutoffs associated with remission for each inflammatory lesion on h-MRI. Median values of each inflammatory lesion for each definition of remission were also calculated. RESULTS: A total of 388 h-MRI sets of patients with RA with different levels of disease activity, 130 in remission, were included. Cutoff values associated with remission according to the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) ≤ 3.3 and the Boolean American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) definitions for BME and tenosynovitis (1 and 3, respectively) were lower than BME and tenosynovitis (2 and 5, respectively) for the Disease Activity Score on 28 joints (DAS28) ≤ 2.6. Median scores for synovitis, BME, and total inflammation were also lower for the SDAI and Boolean ACR/EULAR remission criteria compared with DAS28. CONCLUSION: Patients with RA in remission according to the SDAI and Boolean ACR/EULAR definitions showed lower levels of MRI-detected residual inflammation compared with DAS28.

Drug levels, immunogenicity and assessment of active sacroiliitis in patients with axial spondyloarthritis under biologic tapering strategy.

The aim of the study was to assess drug levels, immunogenicity and sacroiliitis on MRI in patients with axial spondyloarthritis under biologic tapering strategy. Consecutive patients with axial spondyloarthritis who remained in low disease activity more than 1 year after dose tapering of infliximab and adalimumab were included. Plasma drug concentrations of TNF inhibitors and anti-drug antibodies were determined, and MRI of sacroiliac joints was evaluated. Of twenty patients included, eighteen had therapeutic drug levels, no patient had anti-drug antibodies, and no patient had active sacroiliitis on MRI. These data could support the biologic tapering strategy and their maintenance over time.

Diagnostic and therapeutic delay of rheumatoid arthritis and its relationship with health care devices in Catalonia. The AUDIT study. / Retraso diagnóstico y terapéutico de la artritis reumatoide y su relación con dispositivos asistenciales en Catalunya. Estudio AUDIT.

OBJECTIVE: Diagnosis and therapy of patients with early onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is influenced by accessibility to specialized care devices. We attempted to analyze the impact of their availability. METHODS: We analyzed time related to diagnosis delay measuring: 1) Time from first clinical symptoms to the first visit with the Rheumatologist; 2) Time from referral to the first visit of Rheumatology; 3) Time between first symptom until final diagnosis; 4) time between first symptom until the initiation of the first disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). The presence of these 6 rheumatology devices was defined: 1) early arthritis monographic clinics, 2) RA monographic clinics, 3) Mechanisms for fast programming, 4) Algorithms for referral from primary care (PC), 5) rheumatology consultation services in PC and 6) consulting services in PC. RESULTS: The mean time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis or the establishment of a DMARD in RA patients in Catalonia is very long (11 months). Patients seen in rheumatology devices such as RA monographic clinics, rheumatology consultation in PC and specially in early arthritis clinics are treated early with DMARDs. CONCLUSION: the existence of monographic clinics or consulting in primary care centers is essential to improve early care of RA patients.

Dose reduction of biological treatment in patients with axial spondyloarthritis in clinical remission: Are there any differences between patients who relapsed and to those who remained in low disease activity?

The aim of the study was to assess whether dose reduction of biological treatment in patients with axial spondyloarthritis in sustained remission could be effective to maintain remission or low disease activity at 1 year and to explore baseline differences between patients who remained in remission or low disease activity and patients who relapsed. This was a prospective, observational study. All consecutive patients with axial spondyloarthritis in sustained remission were included and received low doses of anti-TNF-α according to a dose reduction protocol. At 1 year, the percentage of patients in remission or low disease activity and in relapse and the differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups were calculated. Of forty-two patients, 76.2 % remained in remission or low disease activity at 1 year. A significant shorter duration of remission before dose reduction, shorter duration of biological treatment and shorter disease duration were observed in the relapse group. Most of our patients with axial spondyloarthritis remained in remission or low disease activity at 1 year after dosage reduction of biologics and shorter duration of remission, shorter duration of biological treatment and shorter disease duration discriminated the patients who relapsed.

Association of bone edema with the progression of bone erosions quantified by hand magnetic resonance imaging in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in remission.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of synovitis, bone marrow edema (BME), and tenosynovitis in the progression of erosions quantified by hand magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1 year in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission. METHODS: A total of 56 of 196 patients with early RA in remission at 1 year and with available MRI data at baseline and at 12 months were included. MRI images were assessed according to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scoring (RAMRIS) system. Persistent remission was defined as 28-joint Disease Activity Score-erythrocyte sedimentation rate ≤ 2.6 and/or Simplified Disease Activity Index ≤ 3.3 and/or the new boolean American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism remission criteria for a continuous period of at least 6 months. Progression of bone erosions was defined as an increase of 1 or more units in annual RAMRIS score for erosions compared to baseline. RESULTS: At 1 year, the majority of patients with RA in sustained remission showed some inflammatory activity on MRI (94.6% synovitis, 46.4% BME, and 58.9% tenosynovitis) and 19 of the 56 patients (33.9%) showed MRI progression of bone erosions. A significant difference was observed in MRI BME at 1 year, with higher mean score in patients with progression compared to nonprogression of erosions (4.8 ± 5.6 and 1.4 ± 2.6, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Subclinical inflammation was identified by MRI in 96.4% of patients with RA in sustained clinical remission. Significantly higher scores of BME after sustained remission were observed in patients with progression of erosions compared to patients with no progression. The persistence of higher scores of BME may explain the progression of bone erosions in patients with persistent clinical remission.

Sacroiliitis associated with axial spondyloarthropathy: new concepts and latest trends.

The sacroiliac joints are involved in most cases of axial spondyloarthropathy, the first manifestation usually being sacroiliitis. A finding of sacroiliitis at radiography is the classic diagnostic hallmark of axial spondyloarthropathy. However, radiographic changes reflect structural damage rather than active inflammation, which may delay the diagnosis by several years. In the past decade, the field of spondyloarthropathy has undergone major changes, largely driven by the development of new drugs for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. In recent years, the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society has focused on the reassessment of existing classification criteria and the development and validation of diagnostic tools to facilitate early diagnosis and assessment of treatment response. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the most recent innovation and the important change with respect to the previously established classification criteria. This modality has become an integral part of managing patients with sacroiliitis. MR imaging can serve as a biomarker of disease activity, allows monitoring, and can provide guidance for the treatment of affected patients, and it will likely become even more central to the care of these patients. Familiarity with the anatomy, anatomic variants, and physiologic changes of the sacroiliac joints is important for correctly interpreting findings and avoiding misdiagnosis.

Etanercept reduces synovitis as measured by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis after only 6 weeks.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the efficacy of etanercept to reduce synovitis as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as early as 6 weeks after starting treatment in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Twenty-two patients with active RA despite disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment were included in this prospective, controlled study. Patients were randomized in 2 groups. In the treatment group, etanercept was added at usual doses during 6 weeks. In the control group, patients continued with prior DMARD therapy. MRI of the dominant wrist and 2nd-5th MCP joints were obtained at baseline and at 6 weeks and evaluated according to OMERACT recommendations. Results of changes in synovitis in the treatment group were compared with changes in the control group. RESULTS: Changes in synovitis measured by MRI of the hand (OMERACT evaluation) in the etanercept group showed a significant reduction after 6 weeks of treatment compared with no changes in the control group. Reduction of synovitis in the treatment group also showed good correlation with decrease of various clinical and laboratory measures. CONCLUSION: In patients with active RA despite DMARD therapy, etanercept, but not placebo, reduced synovitis as measured by MRI after 6 weeks.