ArticleArthritis research & therapy2018
The value of joint ultrasonography in predicting arthritis in seropositive patients with arthralgia: a prospective cohort study.
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Autoantibodies as predictors of progression to rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.RMD open · 2026Pooled it
- Imaging tests as predictors of progression to rheumatoid arthritis in clinically suspect arthralgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2025Pooled it
- An ultrasound negative for subclinical synovitis in arthralgia patients: is it helpful in identifying those not developing arthritis?Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2022Pooled it
- EULAR points to consider for conducting clinical trials and observational studies in individuals at risk of rheumatoid arthritis.Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2021Guideline
- Pooled it
- Article
- Ultrasound of the forefeet besides the hands in patients at risk for rheumatoid arthritis: is it worth the effort? A longitudinal cohort study.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Machine learning-based prediction model integrating ultrasound scores and clinical features for the progression to rheumatoid arthritis in patients with undifferentiated arthritis.Clinical rheumatology · 2025Article
- Is rheumatoid arthritis always preceded by a symptomatic at-risk phase of arthralgia?RMD open · 2024Article
- Ultrasound in anti-CCP+ at-risk individuals without clinical synovitis: development of a novel 6-joint protocol for feasible risk prediction.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2024Article
- Predicting Rheumatoid Arthritis Development Using Hand Ultrasound and Machine Learning-A Two-Year Follow-Up Cohort Study.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Citrullinated and malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde modified fibrinogen activates macrophages and promotes an aggressive synovial fibroblast phenotype in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Article
- Ultrasound subclinical synovitis in anti-CCP-positive at-risk individuals with musculoskeletal symptoms: an important and predictable stage in the rheumatoid arthritis continuum.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2022Article
- During development of rheumatoid arthritis, intermetatarsal bursitis may occur before clinical joint swelling: a large imaging study in patients with clinically suspect arthralgia.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2022Article
- Importance of baseline musculoskeletal ultrasound findings in the prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis.Clinical rheumatology · 2022Article
- Disease mechanisms in preclinical rheumatoid arthritis: A narrative review.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Review
- Ultrasound in clinically suspect arthralgia: the role of power Doppler to predict rheumatoid arthritis development.Arthritis research & therapy · 2021Article
- Differences in the Oral Microbiome in Patients With Early Rheumatoid Arthritis and Individuals at Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis Compared to Healthy Individuals.Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2021Article
- Subclinical synovitis in arthralgia: how often does it result in clinical arthritis? Reflecting on starting points for disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug treatment.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2021Article
- What Is the Value of Ultrasound in Individuals 'At-Risk' of Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Do Not Have Clinical Synovitis?Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe value of joint ultrasonography (US) in the prediction of clinical arthritis in individuals at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still a point of debate, due to varying scanning protocols and different populations. We investigated whether US abnormalities assessed with a standard joint protocol can predict development of arthritis in seropositive patients with arthralgia.
methodsAnti-citrullinated protein antibodies and/or rheumatoid factor positive patients with arthralgia, but without clinical arthritis were included. US was performed at baseline in 16 joints: bilateral metacarpophalangeal 2-3, proximal interphalangeal 2-3, wrist and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints 2-3 and 5. Images were scored semi-quantitatively for synovial thickening and for positive signs on power Doppler (PD). Association between US abnormalities and arthritis development at the joint and at the patient level was evaluated. Also, we investigated the added value of US over clinical parameters.
resultsOut of 163 patients who underwent US examination, 51 (31%) developed clinical arthritis after a median follow-up time of 12 (interquartile range 5-24) months, of which 44 (86%) satisfied the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for RA. US revealed synovial thickening and PD in at least one joint in 49 patients (30%) and 7 patients (4%), respectively. Synovial thickening was associated with both development and timing of clinical arthritis in any joint (patient level) when MTP joints were excluded from the US assessment (odds ratio 6.6, confidence interval (CI) 1.9-22), and hazard ratio 3.4, CI 1.6-6.8, respectively, with a mean time to arthritis of 23 versus 45 months when synovial thickening was present versus not present). There was no association between US and arthritis development at the joint level. Predictive capacity was highest in the groups with an intermediate and high risk of developing arthritis based on a prediction rule with clinical parameters.
conclusionsSynovial thickening on US predicted clinical arthritis development at the patient level in seropositive patients with arthralgia when MTPs were excluded from the US assessment. Positive PD signs were infrequently seen in these at-risk individuals and was not predictive. In patients at intermediate risk of RA, US may help to identify those at higher risk of developing arthritis.
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