Do statins decrease vascular inflammation in patients at risk for large-vessel vasculitis? A retrospective observational study with FDG-PET/CT in polymyalgia rheumatica, giant cell arteritis and fever of unknown origin.

OBJECTIVES: [18F] Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) can detect the presence of large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), giant cell arteritis (GCA) and fever of unknown origin (FUO). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether statins could reduce FDG-PET/CT-assessed vascular inflammation in this group of patients. METHODS: Clinical, demographic, laboratory data, current pharmacological treatments, and cardiovascular risk factors of patients with PMR, GCA and FUO, who underwent FDG-PET/CT, were recorded. FDG uptake was measured at prespecified arterial sites with the mean standardised uptake value (SUV), and with a qualitative visual score, summed up to obtain a total vascular score (TVS). LVV was diagnosed if arterial FDG visual uptake was equal or higher of liver uptake. RESULTS: 129 patients were included (96 with PMR, 16 with GCA, 13 with both PMR and GCA, and 4 with FUO), of whom 75 (58.1%) showed LVV. Twenty out of 129 (15.5%) patients were taking statins. TVS was significantly lower in patients treated with statins (p=0.02), especially in the aorta (p=0.023) and femoral arteries (p=0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary results suggest that statins may exert a potential protective role on vascular inflammation in patients with PMR and GCA. Statin use could spuriously decrease FDG uptake of the vessel walls.

Clinical and FDG-PET/CT correlates in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate joint and vessel uptake in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) by FDG-PET and correlate it with clinical findings. METHODS: Consecutive PMR patients, without clinical signs of giant cell arteritis, underwent a standardised clinical examination and FDG-PET/CT. Controls were consecutive subjects undergoing FDG-PET for the suspicion of neoplasm not confirmed by the examination. Uptake was evaluated by a qualitative visual score, using the liver uptake as reference and by the semi-quantitative mean standardised uptake value (SUV) and target-to-background ratio (TBR) methods. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients and 84 controls (55 women, median age 73 years, range 50-92 years in both groups) were studied. Sixteen patients were taking glucocorticoids (GC). PMR patients showed a higher articular uptake than controls. GC-treated patients showed uptake lower than GC-naïve patients, but still higher than controls. PMR patients showed a higher vascular uptake than controls in all districts except in the carotid arteries, when evaluated by the visual score. Conversely, the semi-quantitative approach yielded no significant differences. Forty-two patients (50%) showed PET evidence of large-vessel vasculitis (LVV), defined as uptake ≥ than that of the liver, and 11.9% showed LVV with vascular uptake higher than that of the liver. The correlation between clinical findings and uptake was scarce. Neither clinical nor laboratory findings could predict the presence of LVV. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PMR show a typical joint pattern at FDG-PET. There are no clinical or laboratory predictors of LVV. Imaging appears to be the only tool to assess LVV in these patients.

Seasonal onset of polymyalgia rheumatica: correlations with the pattern of clinical presentation, disease severity and outcome in 383 patients from a single centre.

OBJECTIVES: Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disorder, more common in the elderly, characterised by girdle pain and stiffness, constitutional symptoms and raised serological markers of inflammation. Studies on the seasonality of onset of PMR have shown conflicting results, possibly due to the different diagnostic criteria and onset recognition. In this study, the month of onset of PMR was evaluated in patients originating from one geographical area, visited by the same clinician. METHODS: In 383 PMR patients (245 women, median age 73 years, range 47-92 years) examined between 1990 and 2014, PMR was diagnosed according to Bird's criteria. The month of onset was recorded systematically during the patient's interview. Clinical features initially recorded included the location of joint involvement, the coexistence of temporal arteritis (TA) or peripheral arthritis, and the type of onset (acute if reported of 72h or less). Patient follow-up, PMR severity and outcome were also recorded throughout the study. RESULTS: We failed to identify any peak month (p=0.93) or season (p=0.45) for the onset of PMR. Timing of onset did not correlate with the clinical features, severity or outcome of PMR. Only when patients were also affected by concomitant TA, the onset of PMR was more often seen in autumn (p=0.02). Patients with PMR onset in autumn also has a greater risk of developing TA during their follow-up (p=0.03). By multiple regression, the only outcome predicted by autumn onset was the use of methotrexate (p=0.039). CONCLUSIONS: PMR showed no seasonality of onset, except for the subset associated with TA. A risk factor with seasonal variation is suggested for the pathogenesis of this form of PMR.

Advanced microvascular damage associated with occurence of sarcopenia in systemic sclerosis patients: results from a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterised by microvascular inflammatory damage, loss of capillaries and progressive systemic fibrosis. Capillary rarefaction may precede sarcopenia, we therefore evaluated the body composition and occurrence of sarcopenia in SSc patients, in relation to the peripheral microcirculatory status, assessed and scored by nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) patterns, including capillary number count and microangiopathy evolution score (MES). METHODS: Body composition and bone mineral density were assessed by Dual X-ray absorptiometry and a dedicated software (GE Lunar, USA) in 43 SSc patients (age 64.1 ± 11.2 yrs, 83.7% women) affected by limited or diffuse cutaneous (74.4%) according to the 2013 EULAR/ACR criteria and 43 age-matched healthy subjects (HS). Sarcopenia was checked as relative skeletal muscle index (RSMI). Clinical, laboratory, body composition and bone parameters were analysed according to the different NVC patterns and MES. Means were compared by the Student's t test or by one way analysis of variance; medians were compared by the Kruskall Wallis test; and frequencies by the chi square test. RESULTS: Sarcopenia was found in 23.26% of SSc patients with a prevalence significantly higher than age matched HS (4.65%; p = 0.03). Interestingly, SSc patients with "late" NVC pattern showed a significantly higher prevalence of sarcopenia (43.75%) compared to "early" (9.1%) and "active" (12.5%) NVC patterns (p<0.0002). In addition, capillary density was found significantly lower in sarcopenic versus non sarcopenic patients (4.4±1.8 vs. 5.8±2.2, p<0.05). Finally, MES showed significantly most severe score in sarcopenic SSc patients (p<0.001): peripheral blood flow analised in a sample of sarcopenic SSc patients by Laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) showed lowest values (p<0.05). Total mass (TM), lean mass (LM), fat mass (FM) and bone mineral content (BMC) values were found significantly lower in sarcopenic SSc patients (p<0.0001, p<0.001, p=0.004, p=0.04, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: SSc patients with sarcopenia and altered body composition were found affected by the most severe NVC pattern ("late"), a significantly reduced/altered number of capillaries and microvascular array (MES), suggesting a strong link between severity of local microvascular failure and associated muscle sufferance.

Effects of combined treatments with CTLA4-IG (abatacept), dexamethasone and methotrexate on cultured human macrophages.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of CTLA4-Ig (abatacept) and dexamethasone (DEX) monotreatment versus their combination and adding methotrexate (MTX) on cultured human macrophages. METHODS: THP-1 cells, activated into macrophages (PMA 0.05 µg/ml), were cultured for 3 and 24 hrs with CTLA4-Ig (500 µg/ml), DEX (10-8 M), MTX (0.05 µg/ml), and CTLA4-Ig combined with DEX or CTLA4-Ig combined with DEX plus MTX. CTLA4-Ig/CD86 interaction was evaluated by FACS analysis. Quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR), immunocytochemistry (ICC) and immunoassay (ELISA) analysis for inflammatory cytokine (IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-6) expression were performed. RESULTS: FACS analysis showed in macrophages treated with CTLA4-Ig alone, CTLA4-Ig-DEX and CTLA4-Ig-DEX-MTX a CD86 decrease of almost 35%, versus untreated cells (CNT). After 3 hrs, macrophages treated with DEX alone or with CTLA4-Ig-DEX or CTLA4-Ig-DEX-MTX showed a significant reduction (p<0.05) for all cytokines gene expression, that was still significant for IL-1ß after 24 hrs (p<0.05). After 3 hrs, CTLA4-Ig alone significantly (p<0.05) reduced all cytokine genes; however, after 24 hrs still evident only for TNF-α (p<0.05). After 24 hrs CTLA4-Ig-DEX induced a significant decrease of gene expression (p<0.05) for TNF-α and IL-6, whereas CTLA4-Ig-DEX-MTX induced a decrease (p<0.05) limited to IL-6, versus CNT. Finally, ICC showed, after 24 hrs of CTLA4-Ig-DEX or CTLA4-Ig-DEX-MTX treatment a reduction (p<0.05) of IL-1ß and IL-6 expression, versus CNT; DEX alone reduced only IL-1ß (p<0.05). ELISA analysis confirmed these results. CONCLUSIONS: CTLA4-Ig-DEX and CTLA4-Ig-DEX-MTX combined treatments, decreased at any level the inflammatory cytokine expression more efficiently then monotreatments on activated cultured human macrophages.

Extrusion of the medial meniscus in knee osteoarthritis assessed with a rotating clino-orthostatic permanent-magnet MRI scanner.

PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were to assess the influence of weight-bearing on tibiofemoral osteoarthritis, including medial meniscal extrusion, by using a low-field (0.25 T) rotating clino-orthostatic permanent-magnet magnetic resonance (MR) scanner, and to analyse correlations of medial meniscal extrusion with the patient's Kellgren-Lawrence score, body mass index, and all the osteoarthritis features of the WORMS scoring system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients (69.2% women and 30.8% men; mean age 67 ± 9.7 years) with medial tibiofemoral knee osteoarthritis were prospectively enrolled and MR sequences were acquired in both clino- and orthostatic position. MR images were assessed by two independent radiologists, according to the WORMS scale. Medial meniscal extrusion was measured and its clino-orthostatic difference (∆MME) was calculated. RESULTS: Intra- and inter-observer agreement of the WORMS Global Score readings was high by Cohen's K test (>0.81). No significant clino-orthostatic changes in the scoring parameters of the medial tibiofemoral joint were shown by Wilcoxon's test. Medial meniscal extrusion measured on orthostatic images was significantly higher than that measured in clinostatic position (p < 0.0001). At univariate analysis, the Kellgren-Lawrence score, WORMS Global Score, cartilage loss, meniscal damage, and osteophytes were significantly correlated to ∆MME (p < 0.005). Using a multiple regression model, tibiofemoral cartilage loss was found to correlate independently with ∆MME (p = 0.0499). CONCLUSIONS: Medial meniscal extrusion, evaluated with an open-configuration, rotating MR scanner, increased from the clinostatic to the orthostatic position. ∆MME, a new meniscal parameter, correlated with several important features of medial tibiofemoral osteoarthritis.

Seronegative spondyloarthropathies: what radiologists should know.

Inflammatory involvement of the spine and sacroiliac joints is the most peculiar feature of seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SpA), which include ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis (Reiter's syndrome), enteropathic spondylitis (related to inflammatory bowel diseases) and undifferentiated spondyloarthropathies. SAPHO syndrome may also be considered a SpA, but there is no clear agreement in this respect. Imaging, along with clinical and laboratory evaluation, is an important tool to reach a correct diagnosis and to provide a precise grading of disease progression, influencing both clinical management and therapy. Conventional radiography, which is often the first-step imaging modality in SpA, does not allow an early diagnosis. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrates with a very high spatial resolution the tiny structural alterations of cortical and spongy bone before they become evident on plain film radiographs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the only modality that provides demonstration of bone marrow oedema, which reflects vasodilatation and inflammatory hyperaemia. The primary aim of this review article was to examine the involvement of the spine and sacroiliac joints in SpA using a multimodal radiological approach (radiography, CT, MRI), providing a practical guide for the differential diagnosis of these conditions.

Real-time sonoelastography of the plantar fascia: comparison between patients with plantar fasciitis and healthy control subjects.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of axial-strain real-time sonoelastography in patients with plantar fasciitis compared with that in healthy control subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional review board approval and patients' consent were obtained. Eighty feet of 80 patients (43 men, 37 women; mean age ± standard deviation, 46.3 years ± 8.7) with plantar fasciitis and 50 feet of 50 asymptomatic volunteers (27 men, 23 women; mean age, 44.3 years ± 8.0) were prospectively evaluated. Individuals graded heel pain with a visual analogue scale and underwent B-mode ultrasonography (US) and real-time sonoelastography. Maximum fascial thickness was measured, and two longitudinal images were recorded with both modalities. Two radiologists who were blinded to clinical symptoms independently reviewed images for hypoechoic echotexture and fascial-border blurring at B-mode US and semiquantitative elasticity score at real-time sonoelastography (blue, 1; green, 2; red, 3), with the fascia divided into proximal, intermediate, and distal sections. RESULTS: No differences were found for sex (P = .999) or age distribution (P = .144) between groups. Fascial thickening, hypoechoic echotexture, and fascial-border blurring at B-mode US were increased in patients versus control subjects (P < .001), and fascial thickening and hypoechoic echotexture correlated with heel pain score (r > .475, P < .001). Plantar fasciae of patients (median score, 11; interquartile interval, 10-12) were less elastic than those of control subjects (median score, 7; interquartile interval, 6-7.25) (P < .001). Image interpretation yielded high interobserver reproducibility (κ ≥ .80). Pain and real-time sonoelastographic scores correlated significantly (r = 0.851, P < .001). Pain was associated with older age (t = 3.7, P < .001), fascial thickening (t = 7.3 [multiple stepwise regression model], P < .001), and total real-time sonoelastographic score (t = 10.2, P < .001) but not with sex, fascial-border blurring, or hypoechoic echotexture. Accuracy increased from 90.0% with B-mode US to 95.4% with real-time sonoelastography (P = .016). CONCLUSION: Real-time sonoelastography can show plantar fasciitis, increase diagnostic performance of B-mode US, and assist in cases of inconclusive B-mode US findings.

High-resolution ultrasound evaluation of extrinsic wrist ligaments in patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the ultrasound features of the extrinsic wrist ligaments in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in comparison with healthy volunteers. METHODS: Twenty-one consecutive patients affected by RA (12 men, 9 women; mean age 57 ± 14.6 years) were compared with 21 controls (12, 9; 54 ± 12.1, respectively). Wrists were evaluated using ultrasound on both palmar and dorsal sides along each ligament, using carpal bones as references. The following ligaments were studied: radioscaphocapitate, radiolunotriquetral, palmar ulnolunate, palmar ulnotriquetral, dorsal radiotriquetral, dorsal ulnotriquetral, and radial collateral ligament. Ligament number and thickness were noted. Echotexture was rated as fibrillar, fragmented, or heterogeneous; the surface was rated as smooth or blurred. RESULTS: The number of palmar ulnolunate and palmar ulnotriquetral ligaments detected by ultrasound in patients was significantly lower than in controls (P = 0.031 and P = 0.037, respectively). All ligaments had significantly more fragmented or heterogeneous echotexture and blurred surface and were significantly thinner in patients than in controls (P < 0.001). No correlation was found between ligament thickness and RA duration or clinical parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Extrinsic wrist ligaments were less detectable and thinner in patients affected by RA compared with healthy volunteers matched for age and sex. Ligament thinning did not directly correlate with RA duration and clinical parameters. KEY POINTS: • Ultrasound is increasingly used to evaluate normal anatomy of extrinsic wrist ligaments. • Extrinsic wrist ligaments are thinner in rheumatoid arthritis patients than in controls. • Extrinsic wrist ligaments are less easy to detect in rheumatoid arthritis patients. • Ligament thinning and detectability are not related to clinical parameters.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of articular and extraarticular synovial structures of the hands in patients with psoriatic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Dynamic, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI), the quantification of enhancement within the synovial membrane and bone by extracting curves using fast T1-weighted sequences during intravenous administration of contrast agent, evaluates synovitis and bone marrow edema in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In this pilot study, we looked at possible differences between joint synovitis and tenosynovitis in PsA as compared with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Seven patients with PsA and 10 with RA were studied. After DCE-MRI was performed on 3 axial slices of the wrist, the enhancement ratio was calculated on 6 different regions of interest (ROI) of the synovial membrane outlined by the operator: the wrist compartment, 3 extensor tendon compartments, and 2 flexor compartments. DCE-MRI results were quantitatively analyzed using the Dynamika software, a computer-aided semiautomated method. RESULTS: In PsA, the area of the ROI outlined around the first and second extensor compartments was larger than in RA; the opposite was true for the extensor carpi ulnaris region. The volume of inflammation was significantly higher in RA than in PsA for all the extensor compartments except the second, and in the joint synovial membrane. The DCE-MRI indicators of the degree of inflammation were higher for PsA in the joint synovial membrane (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). There was a significant correlation between volume of inflammation but not its degree and 28-joint Disease Activity Score at the level of the wrist joint (r = 0.6; p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: DCE-MRI can reveal useful and potentially clinically important information on the characteristics of different types of arthritis.

Immune system activation in polymyalgia rheumatica: Which balance between autoinflammation and autoimmunity? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory rheumatic disease that is common in elderly people. Its classification in the spectrum of autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases is difficult because of its only partially understood immune-mediated mechanisms. The literature concerning the innate and adaptive immune system activation in PMR was systematically reviewed highlighting the relative weight of autoinflammation and autoimmunity in its pathogenesis and disease progression. METHODS: A literature search on PubMed Central and Embase scientific databases was performed by two independent reviewers. To be eligible, the studies needed to fully satisfy our initial PICO framework: a primary diagnosis of PMR as a population, the search for immune/inflammatory cells, cytokines and autoantibodies as an intervention, a control group consisting in healthy controls, patients with other inflammatory rheumatic diseases or PMR patients in remission after treatment and as outcomes the results of the investigations in the analyzed tissue samples. The most relevant data of the included papers were extracted by using a standardized template. RESULTS: Of the 933 screened abstracts, 52 papers were included in the systematic review and categorized depending on their primary research objectives. The hyper-activity of neutrophils and monocytes, expressing toll-like receptor 7 in active disease, an impaired phagocytosis and endothelial dysfunction, as well as an increased count of innate T cells in patients with remission emerged among the major derangements of the innate immune response in PMR. Among the cytokines profile, interleukin-6 plays a key role but other pro-inflammatory mediators and angiogenesis markers such as chemokines, B-cell activating factor, vascular endothelial growth factor and angiopoietins seem to be involved in refractory or glucocorticoid-resistant PMR. The aberrant adaptive immune response was documented by tissue and serum findings of polarized T cells towards T helper 1 and 17 phenotypes, an increased expression of immunosenescent surface markers and a downregulated immunoregulatory response. The altered distribution of peripheral B cells, detected during active disease, suggested their peripheral migration towards unidentified sites. The interaction between innate and adaptive immune response was documented by a synovial infiltrate of macrophages and T cells. Despite multiple autoantibodies have been detected in PMR patients, none proved to correlate with disease activity seeming to be reactive to the marked inflammation or antigenic determinants provided by environmental triggers or tissue/cell damage. CONCLUSIONS: The complex network between innate and adaptive immune system in PMR is supported by findings at molecular and cellular levels. By considering both the ends of the pathophysiological spectrum of immune-mediated rheumatic diseases, PMR may be regarded as an inflammatory immune-mediated disease with mixed mechanisms in a background of genetic and epigenetic factors together with immunological and endocrine senescence.

Ocular microvascular damage in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: The pathophysiological role of the immune system.

Pathological eye involvement represents a quite common finding in a broad spectrum of autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs). Ocular signs, often occur as early manifestations in ARDs, ranging from symptoms related to the mild dry eye disease to sight-threatening pathologies, linked to the immune response against retinal and choroidal vessels. Retinovascular damage driven by markedly inflammatory reactivity need a prompt diagnosis and treatment. Immune-complexes formation, complement activation and antibody-mediated endothelial damage seem to play a key role, particularly, in microvascular damage and ocular symptoms, occurring in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Conversely, early alterations of retinal and choroidal vessels in the asymptomatic patient, often detectable coincidentally, might be indicators of widespread vascular injury in other connective tissue diseases. Particularly, endothelin-induced hypoperfusion and pathological peri-choroidal extracellular matrix deposition, might be responsible for the micro-architectural alterations and loss of capillaries detected in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Instead, interferon alpha-mediated microvascular rarefaction, combined with endothelial lesions caused by specific autoantibodies and immune-complexes, appear to play a significant role in retinal vasculopathy associated to inflammatory idiopathic myopathies (IIM). The immuno-pathophysiological mechanisms of ocular microcirculatory damage associated with the major ARDs will be discussed under the light of the most recent achievements.

Magnetic resonance imaging of nail unit in psoriatic arthritis.

The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has modified the imaging strategies of inflammatory arthritides. In psoriatic arthritis (PsA), MRI study of the nail unit identifies nail involvement that appears as the initial lesion for induction of distal phalanx damage and consequently of distal interphalangeal joint arthritis. All psoriatic patients, also in the absence of a clinically evident onychopathy, show characteristic MRI changes of the nail. This evidence could have practical diagnostic value because MRI study of the nail could document diagnosis in patients with undifferentiated spondyloarthropathies who have barely evident psoriasis. We discuss the advantages and problems related to the use of low- and high-field MRI in the study of the nail unit of patients with PsA.

Advanced Power Doppler Technique Increases Synovial Vascularity Detection in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

We compared the diagnostic performance of an advanced power Doppler technique (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) with that of power Doppler Imaging (PDI) and B-mode ultrasound (US) in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and RA under treatment with rituximab. Thirty patients (21 women aged 45 ± 11 y) affected by RA with remission to moderate disease activity were examined. Both hand joints were evaluated using US, PDI and SMI. Two radiologists reviewed all video clips and evaluated synovial vascularity intensity using a semi-quantitative scoring system. SMI revealed the presence of synovial vascularity in a significantly larger number of patients than PDI (p = 0.02). Inter-observer agreement for US, PDI and SMI was moderate (κ = 0.59), very good (κ = 0.87) and very good (κ = 0.82), respectively. We conclude that SMI detects more vessels than PDI in RA patients. This may allow increased sensitivity for early diagnosis of synovial inflammation, monitoring of its dynamic changes under therapy and evaluation of true imaging remission.

Imaging of osteoarthritis (OA): What is new?

In daily clinical practice, conventional radiography is still the most applied imaging technique to supplement clinical examination of patients with suspected osteoarthritis (OA); it may not always be needed for diagnosis. Modern imaging modalities can visualize multiple aspects of the joint, and depending on the diagnostic need, radiography may no longer be the modality of choice. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a complete assessment of the joint and has a pivotal role in OA research. Computed tomography (CT) and nuclear medicine offer alternatives in research scenarios, while ultrasound can visualize bony and soft-tissue pathologies and is highly feasible in the clinic. In this chapter, we overview the recent literature on established and newer imaging modalities, summarizing their ability to detect and quantify the range of OA pathologies and determining how they may contribute to early OA diagnosis. This accurate imaging-based detection of pathologies will underpin true understanding of much needed structure-modifying therapies.

Giant cell arteritis: a systematic review of the qualitative and semiquantitative methods to assess vasculitis with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis affecting medium and large vessels. It shows a close clinical association with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), a musculoskeletal inflammatory disorder, which is clinically characterized by girdles pain and stiffness. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is an effective tool for the diagnosis, grading, and follow-up of patients affected by GCA involving the aorta and its proximal branches, but the lack of a standardized method for the assessment of vascular inflammation remains a critical issue, potentially leading to misclassification. In our systematic review, including 19 original articles for a total of 442 GCA patients (with or without PMR symptoms) and 535 healthy controls, we described the different qualitative, semiquantitative and combined methods that have been proposed throughout the literature for assessing the presence and grading the severity of GCA-related vascular inflammation on 18F-FDG PET scans, focusing on the diagnostic performance and examining their respective advantages and limitations. The majority of the included studies adopted qualitative methods of PET image analysis, which are less sensitive but more specific than semiquantitative ones. Among the semiquantitative approaches, the aortic-to-blood pool uptake ratio of the aortic arch seems to be the most accurate method.

[Polymyalgia rheumatica and aortic involvement]. / Polimialgia reumatica e coinvolgimento dell'aorta toracica.

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disorder that affects people over 50 years of age, characterized by pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulder and pelvic girdles. PMR may occur as an isolated condition or concomitantly with giant cell arteritis. Similar to other inflammatory rheumatic disorders, PMR is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk due to inflammatory changes in large arterial vessels, which result in an increased chance of developing aneurysms and dissections. International guidelines do not provide specific indications about the management of PMR patients with aortic wall inflammation. In this review, we propose a diagnostic pathway for the management of PMR patients with aortic involvement based on literature data and personal experience.

Ultrasound-guided procedures around the wrist and hand: how to do.

Ultrasound has emerged as a low-cost, radiation-free and effective imaging technique to detect joint abnormalities and to guide percutaneous procedures. Being superficial, wrist and hand tendons and joints represent a good target to perform such procedures using ultrasound guidance. This kind of approach allows for a clear and real-time visualization of the needles during their whole path. In this setting, the knowledge of technical aspects and tips is essential to act in the most accurate way on target tissues that can be as small as a few millimetres. The aim of this review is to summarize the local treatments of inflammatory and degenerative disease described in literature (such as treatment of De Quervain's tenosynovitis, trigger finger, trapezio-metacarpal joint osteoarthritis, etc.), emphasizing precautions and tricks based on day-by-day experience that may help to improve the outcome of percutaneous ultrasound-guided procedures around the wrist and hand.