title: The role of ultrasound in rheumatology.
abstract: Sensitive imaging tools are needed to assess disease activity, to detect joint damage, to monitor treatment response, and to predict disease outcome in rheumatic diseases. For its advantages in costs and risks, and for its validity, reproducibility, and sensitivity to change, ultrasonography (US) is playing an increasing role in the evaluation of joints in patients with inflammatory and degenerative disorders. US has demonstrated to be sensitive in the detection of early bone erosions as well as in the depiction of soft-tissue damage.
authors.affiliation: Reumatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy. annamaria.iagnocco@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iagnocco
authors.forename: Fulvia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perricone
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valesini
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007596:Joints / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000379:methods*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods