ArticleTherapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease2026
Ultrasound evaluation of finger joint cartilage damage progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Article in Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Cartilage damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is commonly evaluated by joint space narrowing (JSN) on conventional radiograph (CR). Cross-sectional studies suggest that ultrasound (US) can directly assess finger-joint cartilage damage; however, whether it can sufficiently evaluate cartilage changes over time remains unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate temporal changes in cartilage damage in patients with RA using US. Design: A single-center, retrospective observational study. Methods: Fifty-three patients with RA underwent US scans of finger joints and CR of both hands at baseline and 1 year later. Cartilage thickness was measured at the bilateral second to fifth metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints, and cartilage damage was semiquantitatively scored using recorded US images. JSN was scored on CR using the van der Heijde-modified Sharp method. Patients were grouped by disease activity over 1 year, assessed by Disease Activity Score of 28 joints with C-reactive protein. Continuous variables were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney Results: Median patient age and disease duration were 68 and 6.3 years, respectively. Baseline total cartilage thicknesses of 16 joints ranged from 3.1 to 9.1 mm (median, 6.5 mm). Total semiquantitative scores were 0-22 (median, 5). Cartilage thickness (rho, -0.63; Conclusion: US detected cartilage damage progression in RA over 1 year, supporting its usefulness for longitudinal assessment.
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