The aim of this study was to define the ultrasonographic factors that indicate clinical remission in patients with RA. We enrolled a cohort of patients with RA in whom the disease had been in remission for at least 6 months. Musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) examination was used to evaluate the status of active synovitis, power Doppler (PD) signalling, and synovitis in the bilateral metacarpophalangeal; proximal interphalangeal; and radiocarpal, ulnocarpal, and intercarpal, compartments of the wrist. A total of 64 RA patients with a mean disease duration of 79.97 months were studied. Of all patients, 36% had ultrasonographic synovitis and 29% an increased PD signal from at least one joint. Delay in diagnosis was highly correlated with synovitis and PD synovitis (r = 0.55, p = 0.000; and r = 0.51, p = 0.001, respectively). A weak negative correlation was evident between synovitis, PD synovitis, tenosynovitis, PD tenosynovitis, and duration of clinical remission (respectively, r = -0.426, p = 0.000; r = -0.333, p = 0.007; r = -0.243, p = 0.050; and r = -0.247, p = 0.049). Upon multivariate logistic regression analysis, the duration of clinical remission and delay in diagnosis were the factors that most influenced ultrasonographic remission (OR 3.46, p = 0.046; OR 3.27, p = 0.016, respectively). Synovial inflammation may persist in RA patients exhibiting clinical remission. We found that US detected subclinical synovitis. The most important factors preventing ultrasonographic remission were a short duration of clinical remission and delay in diagnosis.

Objective: We aimed to measure the femoral trochlear cartilage thickness using musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) and examine the effects of cartilage characteristics on the quality of life and functional status in postmenopausal women diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Materials and Methods:We examined 42 female patients and included a control group comprising 21 healthy women with similar age. Cartilage thickness, clarity, and subchondral bone calcification were evaluated using US with 5-13-MHz linear probe; pain and functional status were evaluated using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) OA index; and the quality of life was evaluated using Short Form-36 (SF-36).Results: A positive correlation was observed between measurements of 25-OH vitamin D levels and left intercondylar region, left lateral condyle, and right intercondylar area (r=0.416, p=0.006; r=0.421, p=0.001; and r=0.398, p=0.031, respectively). The quality of cartilage clarity was better in the patient group than in the control group for both knees (p<0.05). Cartilage clarity scores of the patients were positively correlated to the WOMAC total score and negatively correlated to the SF-36 total scores (left knee, r=0.159, p=0.314; right knee, r=0.261, p=0.096 and left knee, r=−0.263, p=0.093; right knee, r=−0.312, p=0.044, respectively). Conclusion:Compared with cartilage thickness, cartilage clarity appears to be a very successful parameter in reflecting the patient's quality of life and functional status.

Compared to RA, US and clinical examination of enthesitis in patients with axial SpA should focus on the calcaneal enthesitis region. In axial SpA, ultrasonographic enthesitis is associated with impaired quality of life.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease most notably affecting the joints. Chronic inflammatory status caused by RA gives rise to extra-articular manifestation such as rheumatoid nodules, vasculitis, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, kidney and hematologic diseases. In the past, RA was an important cause of morbidity, disability and premature death. [1][2][3] Nowadays, inflammation can be treated determinedly and effectively by means of emerging novel therapies including biologic drugs and treat-to-target