title: Is it time to revisit the role of ultrasound in rheumatoid arthritis management?
abstract: For over a decade, a large number of studies have highlighted the benefits of ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis and management of rheumatic diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, its benefits in routine practice have been less studied and trials examining US as part of various clinical strategies are just emerging, with recent randomised trials examining the added value of US in tight-control paradigms. The conclusions of these trials have raised questions on the role of US in RA management. This Viewpoint analyses the recent studies, and discusses potential limitations in study designs as well as the methodological challenges of assessing the added value of an imaging technique.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Department, APHP, Hôpital Ambroise Paré, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.|INSERM U1173, Laboratoire d'Excellence INFLAMEX, UFR Simone Veil, Versailles-Saint-Quentin University, Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, France.|Leeds institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boers
authors.affiliation: Leeds institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wakefield
authors.affiliation: Leeds institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Emery
authors.affiliation: Leeds institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds & NIHR Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Conaghan
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid; D006801:Humans; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis; Treatment; Ultrasonography