Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40728551›Full record

SynthesisLa Radiologia medica2025

How useful is contrast-enhanced ultrasound in rheumatoid arthritis? A systematic review with meta-analysis on the comparison between contrast-enhanced ultrasound and colour or power Doppler ultrasound.

Joaquim Polido-Pereira, Manuel Silvério António, Susana Oliveira Henriques, João Sabido, Ricardo M Fernandes, Elsa Vieira-Sousa, Maria Antonietta D'Agostino, João Eurico Fonseca

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-AnalysisComparative Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in La Radiologia medica, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Joaquim Polido-PereiraRheumatology Department, ULS de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal. polidopereira@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7188-8516
Manuel Silvério AntónioRheumatology Department, ULS de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal.
Susana Oliveira HenriquesÁrea de Biblioteca e Informação, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
João SabidoCardiology Department, ULS de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal.
Ricardo M FernandesClinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Laboratory, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
Elsa Vieira-SousaRheumatology Department, ULS de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal.
Maria Antonietta D'AgostinoRheumatology Department, Catholic University of Sacred Health, Foundation Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCSS, Rome, Italy.
João Eurico FonsecaRheumatology Department, ULS de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe primary objective was to evaluate the additional benefits of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) compared to unenhanced Doppler ultrasound (DUS) for the identification of active synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

methodsWe searched PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE (February 2024) for all English-written published reports of human studies including the use of CEUS for the study of synovitis in RA. The risk of bias of included studies was evaluated using the QUADAS tool. DUS and CEUS semiquantitative scores were transformed in binomial, and these data were extracted for meta-analysis. Results that we were unable to quantitatively aggregate were summarised qualitatively.

resultsTwenty-three studies using CEUS to evaluate 1117 joints from 827 subjects were included, of which 898 joints were from 669 RA patients. We performed a meta-analysis of 9 studies in active RA patients showing that from 474 joints evaluated by either PDUS/CDUS and CEUS, the synovitis detection was 49.2% and 83.8%, respectively, corresponding to a relative detection ratio (RDR) of 1.49 (95% CI 1.23-1.81) favouring CEUS. Heterogeneity of the data was moderate. In healthy subjects, CEUS detected no vascularisation in 4 studies. DISCUSSION: CEUS detects more microvascularisation than PDUS in active RA with an RDR of 1.49.

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidContrast MediaSynovitisUltrasonography, DopplerUltrasonography, Doppler, ColorHumansUltrasonographyContrast MediaContrast-enhanced ultrasoundDopplerMicrobubblesMusculoskeletal ultrasoundRheumatoid arthritisSynovitis

Identifiers

PMID40728551

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.