Ultrasonographic evaluation of femoral cartilage thickness in patients with psoriatic arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a common form of arthritis that may vary from asymmetric oligoarthritis to symmetric polyarthritis and spondyloarthritis. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate femoral cartilage thickness using ultrasonography in patients with PsA. METHODS: Thirty-three patients (24 female, 9 male) with a diagnosis of PsA and 31 age-, sex- and body mass index-similar healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded, including disease duration, morning stiffness and medications. The femoral cartilage thicknesses of both knees (while held in maximum flexion) were measured with a 7-12 MHz linear probe. Three mid-point measurements were taken from both knees (at the lateral condyle, intercondylar area and medial condyle). RESULTS: Cartilage thicknesses were similar between PsA patients and healthy control subjects. However, there were significant correlations between cartilage thickness and the Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score, Bath AS functional index and Bath AS disease activity index scores. CONCLUSION: Femoral cartilage thickness is similar between PsA patients and healthy controls. The femoral cartilage thickness in PsA patients is associated with disease activity, functional inadequacy, and enthesopathy scores.

Education and Visual Information Improves Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Local Injections on Shoulder Pain and Associated Anxiety Level: A Randomized Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVE: Local injections are widely used in patients with a painful shoulder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible impact of patients' visual information on the effectiveness of ultrasound (US)-guided local injections on anxiety levels and shoulder pain. DESIGN: A total of 151 patients, scheduled for local injection owing to shoulder pain, were randomly assigned into two groups in a consecutive order. Patients in group I (n = 72) were provided information related to US findings and allowed to watch the procedures from the monitor, whereas patients in group II (n = 79) received the injection only without any collaboration. Data were collected from both groups immediately before and after injections through visual analog scale and questionnaire (the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI] forms 1 and 2). RESULTS: US-guided local injections provided significant improvement of anxiety and pain in both groups, irrespective of providing visual information. Group I and group II comparisons with respect to the visual analog scale, STAI 1, and STAI 2 yielded significant difference only for postinjection STAI 2 in group I (P = 0.006). Intragroup comparisons revealed significant differences between preinjection and postinjection values (group I: visual analog scale, P = 0.001; STAI form 1, P = 0.001; STAI form 2, P = 0.002; group II: visual analog scale, P = 0.001; STAI form 1, P = 0.002; STAI form 2, P = 0.042). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of postinjection satisfaction levels from the procedures (P = 0.824). CONCLUSIONS: Performing US-guided shoulder injections with patient visual information provides positive contributions to coping with pain and anxiety. In particular, the patient collaboration-based US-guided injections have positive consequences on patients' long-standing "trait-anxiety" levels.