title: [Ultrasonic study of knee joint lesions in rheumatoid arthritis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasonography in detecting Rheumatoid Arthritis through ultrasonographic image of suprapatellar bursa' fluid, synovium, and femoral condylar cartilage in the knee joints.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ultrasonographic image of suprapatellar bursa' fluid, synovium and femoral condylar cartilage was compared between people with and without Rheumatoid Arthritis. The changes of suprapatellar bursa' fluid and thickness, color flow grading, RI of synovium and femoral condylar cartilage in the patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis before and after therapy were measured. The correlations between suprapatellar bursa' fluid, thickness, color flow grading, RI of synovium and CRP/ESR were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The suprapatellar bursa' fluid and synovium in the patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis before treatments were thicker than those without Rheumatoid Arthritis. After treatments for the patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, the thickness of suprapatellar bursa' fluid and synovium decreased, the color flow of synovium reduced, whearaus the RI increased. The ESR/CRP were correlated with the thickness of suprapatellar bursa' fluid and synovium and color flow grading.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasonography is an auxiliary diagnostic instrument, which can be used in evaluating the therapeutic effect on Rheumatoid Arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrosonograpy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Yu-Lan
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D002061:Bursa, Synovial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002356:Cartilage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010329:Patella / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography