Muskuloskelettale Punktion, Injektion und Infiltration: Standpunkt von Schweizer Rheumatologen

Zusammenfassung: Punktion, Injektion und Infiltration von Gelenken und Weichteilen gehören zu den grundlegenden Tätigkeiten der Rheumatologie. Da sich Indikationen und praktisches Vorgehen historisch entwickelt haben, ist die kritische Prüfung und ggf. die Anpassung etablierter Praktiken im Licht neuer wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse und technischer Errungenschaften zentral. Die wichtigsten Indikationen für eine Punktion sind die Infektsuche und die Druckentlastung bei Erguss. Gute Indikationen für Glukokortikoidinjektionen sind das entzündete, nichtinfizierte Gelenk und die aktivierte Arthrose. Kritisch hinterfragt werden müssen die seit Jahrzehnten etablierten, bis vor Kurzem kaum hinterfragten, im Einzelfall nicht selten repetitiv durchgeführten Infiltrationen bei mechanischer Enthesopathie am Epicondylus humeri radialis (Tennisellenbogen) oder der Plantarfaszie (Fasziitis plantaris). Bei diesen führen insbesondere wiederholte Glukokortikoidinfiltrationen zu einem schlechteren Verlauf als ohne Injektio

Ultraschall und Arthritis

Zusammenfassung: Die Arthrosonographie ist ein etabliertes und validiertes diagnostisches Verfahren in der Rheumatologie. Durch ihren hohen Weichteilkontrast ist die Sonographie in der Lage, Weichteilveränderungen wie z.B. Synovialisveränderungen zu detektieren. Knorpel- oder Knochenveränderungen im Rahmen einer rheumatoiden Arthritis (RA), einer Spondyloarthritis oder einer Kristallarthritis können teilweise nur sonographisch oder in vielen Fällen zu einem früheren Zeitpunkt als mit der konventionellen Bildgebung erfasst werden. Die Aktivität entzündlicher Veränderungen kann mit Hilfe der Doppler- und Power-Dopplersonographie gut dargestellt werden. In der Früharthritisdiagnostik gewinnt die Sonographie zunehmend an Bedeutung, insbesondere bei undifferenzierter Arthritis und bei unauffälligem Röntgenbefund. Neben der Diagnostik der Früharthritis und dem Therapiemonitoring einer RA erlaubt die Sonographie die Darstellung pathognomonischer Veränderungen bei seronegativen Spondyloarthritiden und Kristallablagerungserkrankungen wie Gicht, Chondrokalzinose und Apatitose. Sonographiegesteuerte diagnostische und therapeutische Interventionen zeichnen sich durch eine extrem hohe Treffsicherheit und Verbesserung der klinischen Wirksamkeit verglichen mit ungesteuerten Verfahren aus. Zusammenfassend nimmt die Sonographie zunehmend einen zentralen Stellenwert ein in der Abklärung und Behandlungssteuerung bei entzündlichen Gelenkerkrankunge

The importance of sonographer experience and machine quality with regards to the role of musculoskeletal ultrasound in routine care of rheumatoid arthritis patients.

OBJECTIVES: Regarding recent progress, musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) will probably soon be integrated in standard care of patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, in daily care, quality of US machines and level of experience of sonographers are varied. We conducted a study to assess reproducibility and feasibility of an US scoring for RA, including US devices of different quality and rheumatologist with various levels of expertise in US as it would be in daily care. METHODS: The Swiss Sonography in Arthritis and Rheumatism (SONAR) group has developed a semi-quantitative score using OMERACT criteria for synovitis and erosion in RA. The score was taught to 108 rheumatologists trained in US. One year after the last workshop, 19 rheumatologists participated in the study. Scans were performed on 6 US machines ranging from low to high quality, each with a different patient. Weighted kappa was calculated for each pair of readers. RESULTS: Overall, the agreement was fair to moderate. Quality of device, experience of the sonographers and practice of the score before the study improved substantially the agreement. Agreement assessed on higher quality machine, among sonographers with good experience in US increased to substantial (median kappa for B-mode and Doppler: 0.64 and 0.41 for erosion). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated feasibility and reproducibility of the Swiss US SONAR score for RA. Our results confirmed importance of the quality of US machine and the training of sonographers for the implementation of US scoring in the routine daily care of RA

Ultrasound can be useful to predict an evolution towards rheumatoid arthritis in patients with inflammatory polyarthralgia without anticitrullinated antibodies.

Ultrasound (US) subclinical synovitis in prerheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients has been demonstrated in anticitrullinated antibodies (ACPA) positive patients to be predictive for future development of RA. The aim of the study was to assess the value of the US as a predictive factor for the future development of RA in patients with polyarthralgia without ACPA. Eighty consecutive ACPA-patients with polyarthralgia without clinical synovitis or ACPA before the US examination were included. To detect significant US synovitis, we applied the criteria of a US score (SONAR) validated among RA patients and controls. The diagnosis of RA was based on the ACR/EULAR criteria. Significant US synovitis were present at baseline in 20 (25%) of the patients. The mean (SD) follow-up time was 18 (7) months in both groups. Seven (9%) patients developed a clear RA and 2 another inflammatory arthritis. US synovitis at baseline was significantly associated with evolution to RA: 5/20 (25%) versus 2/60 (3%) (P<0.05). The free time to RA was significantly shorter when US synovitis were present (P<0.01). Moreover, after multivariate analysis, US appeared to be the only independent predictor of an evolution to RA (OR: 7.4). Results remained similar after including all patients developing another inflammatory arthritis. Our study suggests that US can be used as a predictor for the evolution to RA or other inflammatory arthritis in patients presenting polyarthralgia without ACPA

Persistence of ultrasound synovitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis fulfilling the DAS28 and/or the new ACR/EULAR RA remission definitions: results of an observational cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of the study was to evaluate whether rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients considered to be in remission according to clinical criteria sets still had persisting ultrasound (US) synovitis. We further intended to evaluate the capacity of our US score to discriminate between the patients with a clinically active disease versus those in remission. METHODS: This is an observational study nested within the Swiss Clinical Quality Management in Rheumatic Diseases (SCQM) rheumatoid arthritis cohort. A validated US score (SONAR score) based on a semi-quantitative B-mode and Doppler (PwD) score as part of the regular clinical workup by rheumatologists in different clinical settings was used. To define clinically relevant synovitis, the same score was applied to 38 healthy controls and the 90st percentile was used as cut-off for 'relevant' synovitis. RESULTS: Three hundred and seven patients had at least one US examination and concomitant clinical information on disease activity. More than a third of patients in both DAS28 and ACR/EULAR remission showed significant gray scale synovitis (P=0.01 and 0.0002, respectively) and PwD activity (P=0.005 and 0.0005, respectively) when compared to controls. The capacity of US to discriminate between the two clinical remission groups and patients with active disease was only moderate. CONCLUSION: This observational study confirms that many patients considered to be in clinical remission according the DAS and the ACR/EULAR definitions still have residual synovitis on US. The prognostic significance of US synovitis and the exact place of US in patients reaching clinical remission need to be further evaluated

Ultrasound evaluation of synovitis in RA: Correlation with clinical disease activity and sensitivity to change in an observational cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between clinical measures of disease activity and a ultrasound (US) scoring system for synovitis applied by many different ultrasonographers in a daily routine care setting within the Swiss registry for RA (SCQM) and further to determine the sensitivity to change of this US Score. METHODS: One hundred and eight Swiss rheumatologists were trained in performing the Swiss Sonography in Arthritis and Rheumatism (SONAR) score. US B-mode and Power Doppler (PwD) scores were correlated with DAS28 and compared between the clinical categories in a cross-sectional cohort of patients. In patients with a second US (longitudinal cohort), we investigated if change in US score correlated with change in DAS and evaluated the responsiveness of both methods. RESULTS: In the cross-sectional cohort with 536 patients, correlation between the B-mode score and DAS28 was significant but modest (Pearson coefficient r=0.41, P<0.0001). The same was true for the PwD score (r=0.41, P<0.0001). In the longitudinal cohort with 183 patients we also found a significant correlation between change in B-mode and in PwD score with change in DAS28 (r=0.54, P<0.0001 and r=0.46, P<0.0001, respectively). Both methods of evaluation (DAS and US) showed similar responsiveness according to standardized response mean (SRM). CONCLUSIONS: The SONAR Score is practicable and was applied by many rheumatologists in daily routine care after initial training. It demonstrates significant correlations with the degree of as well as change in disease activity as measured by DAS. On the level of the individual, the US score shows many discrepancies and overlapping results exist