title: Ultrasound imaging for the rheumatologist XXXVIII. Sonographic assessment of the hip in psoriatic arthritis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of our study were to investigate the prevalence of ultrasound (US) pathological abnormalities in the hip of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients and compare them with the clinical findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-five PsA patients were enrolled in the study. Bilateral examination of the hip was performed to detect joint effusion, synovial hypertrophy, irregularity of femoral head and neck profile as seen in erosions and/or osteophytes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Joint effusion was detected in 20 out of 130 hips (15%). Synovial hypertrophy was present in 12 out of 20 hips (60%) associated with effusion (9.3% of all hip joints) and only 1 of them showed PD signal. Small effusion without synovial proliferation was imaged in 8 out of 20 hips (40%). On the whole 14 out of 65 patients (21%) had joint effusion with or without synovial hypertrophy using US. No erosions of the femoral head and neck profile were detected whilst osteophytes were imaged in 27 joints (20%). No US abnormalities were demonstrated in 18 hips with pain/tenderness on physical examination, whilst joint effusion was seen in 8 joints which were asymptomatic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  US is a useful imaging method to evaluate hip involvement in PsA that could be integrated into routine PsA management even if patients do not complain of hip involvement.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, University of Pisa, Italy. lucrezia.riente@med.unipi.it
authors.forename: Lucrezia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Riente
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delle Sedie
authors.forename: Garifallia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sakellariou
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Filippucci
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meenagh
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iagnocco
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cioffi
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valesini
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Grassi
authors.forename: Carlomaurizio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montecucco
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bombardieri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D005270:Femur Head / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009660:Northern Ireland; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D055815:Young Adult