ArticleRMD open2018
Patient-reported outcomes and safety in patients undergoing synovial biopsy: comparison of ultrasound-guided needle biopsy, ultrasound-guided portal and forceps and arthroscopic-guided synovial biopsy techniques in five centres across Europe.
Article in RMD open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Article
- Ultrasound-Guided Synovial Biopsy Can Be Effectively and Safely Performed in Different Clinical Settings Favouring a Widespread Application of Precision Medicine in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Post-hoc Analysis of Three Clinical Trials.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- Ultrasound-guided synovial tissue biopsy for people with rheumatoid arthritis: a micro-costing study.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2025Article
- Precision Medicine in Rheumatology: The Promise of Ultrasound-Guided Synovial Biopsy, Barriers to Its Implementation in the United States, and Proposed Solutions.Current rheumatology reports · 2024Review
- Article
- Image-guided synovial biopsy with a focus on infection.Skeletal radiology · 2023Review
- Title Current Status of the Search for Biomarkers for Optimal Therapeutic Drug Selection for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- BIOlogical Factors that Limit sustAined Remission in rhEumatoid arthritis (the BIO-FLARE study): protocol for a non-randomised longitudinal cohort study.BMC rheumatology · 2021Article
- Synovial biopsies in clinical practice and research: current developments and perspectives.Clinical rheumatology · 2021Review
- Ultrasound-Guided Synovial Biopsy: A Review.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Review
- The Crucial Questions on Synovial Biopsy: When, Why, Who, What, Where, and How?Frontiers in medicine · 2021Review
- Transforming clinical trials in rheumatology: towards patient-centric precision medicine.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2020Review
- Arthroscopic Guided Synovial Biopsies.Frontiers in medicine · 2020Review
- Synovial tissue biopsy analysis: unlocking the hidden secrets to personalised medicine?Arthritis research & therapy · 2019Article
- US-Guided Biopsies: Overarching Principles.Frontiers in medicine · 2019Review
- Ultrasound-Guided Biopsies: Medium and Large Joints.Frontiers in medicine · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
21 authors at 13 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWe present a European multicenter study, comparing safety data and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) from patients undergoing synovial biopsy using ultrasound-guided needle biopsy (US-NB), ultrasound-guided portal and forceps (US-P&F) or arthroscopic-guided (AG) procedures.
objectivesTo describe safety and PRO data on joint indices of pain, stiffness and swelling before and after biopsy, procedural discomfort, joint status compared with before biopsy and willingness to undergo a second biopsy for each technique and compare the three techniques. To evaluate the impact on PRO and safety data of corticosteroid therapy as part of the biopsy procedure and sequential biopsy procedures.
methodsData were collected on the day of biopsy and 7-14 days postprocedure. Joint pain, swelling and stiffness indices were recorded as 0-100 mm Visual Analogue Scale; qualitative outcome variables on five-point Likert scales. Groups were compared with linear regression, adjusting for disease activity, corticosteroid therapy and prebiopsy PRO value and accounting for repeated measurements.
resultsA total of 524 synovial biopsy procedures were documented (402 US-NB, 65 US-P&F and 57 AGSB). There were eight adverse events (1.5%) with no difference between biopsy methods (p=0.55). All PROs were improved 2 weeks postprocedure, and there were no differences in postbiopsy change in PROs between biopsy methods. Corticosteroid administration, whether intramuscular (n=62) or intra-articular (n=38), did not result in more adverse events (p=0.81) and was associated with reduction in postbiopsy swelling (p<0.01). Sequential biopsy procedures (n=103 patients) did not result in more adverse events (p=0.61) or worsening in PRO data.
conclusionOverall, our results do not suggest a significant difference in safety or patient tolerability between US-NB, US-P&F and AGSB sampling. Further, corticosteroid therapy as part of the biopsy procedure and sequential biopsies is safe and well tolerated in patients.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.