title: Arthroscopic guided synovial biopsy in rheumatology: current perspectives.
abstract: Synovial membrane (SM) pathology has provided valuable insights into our current understanding of immunopathological processes and treatment responses in the inflammatory arthritides. Amongst various methods of synovial biopsy, arthroscopic techniques remain the 'gold standard' owing to better sampling from sites of interest, particularly in patients with partially treated disease and from areas within joints that may be difficult to access using other techniques. Newer sophisticated techniques of SM membrane analyses allow assessment of differentially regulated pathways, the knowledge of which may help elucidate diagnostic and therapeutic targets in an attempt towards developing strategies for personalised medicine in the current era of targeted biologic therapies.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, Repatriation General Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.|Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Mihir D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Wechalekar
authors.affiliation: Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Malcolm D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D001182:Arthroscopy; D001706:Biopsy; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000379:methods*; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*
keywords:  synovial pathology; arthroscopy; optimising treatment; synovial biopsy