title: Ultrasound disease activity of bilateral wrist and finger joints at three months reflects the clinical response at six months of patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated whether the early responsiveness of ultrasound synovitis can predict the clinical response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Articular synovitis was assessed by ultrasound at 22 bilateral wrist and finger joints in 39 RA patients treated with bDMARDs. Each joint was assigned a gray-scale (GS) and power Doppler (PD) score from 0 to 3, and the sum of the GS or PD scores was considered to represent the ultrasound disease activity. We investigated the correlation of the change in ultrasound disease activity at three months with the EULAR response criteria at six months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GS and PD scores were significantly decreased at three months (p < 0.0001). The % changes of the GS and PD scores at three months were significantly higher at six months in moderate and good responders compared with non-responders (p < 0.05). These tendencies were numerically more prominent if clinical response was set as good responder or Disease Activity Score 28 remission. Poor improvement of ultrasound synovitis scores had good predictive value for non-responders at six months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The responsiveness of ultrasound disease activity is considered to predict further clinical response in RA patients treated with bDMARDs.
authors: a Departments of Public Health.|b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Shin-Ya
authors: SY
authors: Kawashiri
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Ayako
authors: A
authors: Nishino
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Toshimasa
authors: T
authors: Shimizu
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Masataka
authors: M
authors: Umeda
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Shoichi
authors: S
authors: Fukui
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Yoshikazu
authors: Y
authors: Nakashima
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Takahisa
authors: T
authors: Suzuki
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Tomohiro
authors: T
authors: Koga
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Naoki
authors: N
authors: Iwamoto
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Kunihiro
authors: K
authors: Ichinose
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Mami
authors: M
authors: Tamai
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Hideki
authors: H
authors: Nakamura
authors: c Health Sciences , Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences , Nagasaki , Japan.
authors: Tomoki
authors: T
authors: Origuchi
authors: a Departments of Public Health.
authors: Kiyoshi
authors: K
authors: Aoyagi
authors: b Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology , and.
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Kawakami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D001688:Biological Products
keywords: Biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs); Gray scale; Power Doppler; Rheumatoid arthritis; Ultrasound