Vol.19 No.2

Original Article

Correlation between synovial blood flow signals and serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis

Authors

Daitaro Kurosaka1 , Kenichiro Hirai1 , Makiko Nishioka2 , Yukio Miyamoto2 , Ken Yoshida1 , Eigo Takahashi1 , Taro Ukichi1 , Kentaro Noda1 , Maimi Yanagimachi1 , Kazuhiro Furuya1 , Kunihiko Fukuda2 , Akio Yamada1

  • Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
  • Department of Radiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
Received:

15 July 2008

Accepted:

18 November 2008

Published online:

17 February 2009

Full Text

PDF　(member's only)

Abstract

The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between synovial blood flow signals and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) involved in angiogenesis by Doppler ultrasound. Twenty-one patients meeting the diagnostic criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) were enrolled in this study. Doppler ultrasound signals of blood flow in the wrist synovial membrane were measured and classified into three grades: grade 1 = no flow; grade 2 = mild flow; grade 3 = intense flow. A significant correlation was observed between blood flow signals in the wrist synovial membrane and serum VEGF levels (r = 0.5681, P = 0.0072). These results suggest that the measurement of Doppler ultrasound signals of blood flow in the wrist synovial membrane is useful in the evaluation of angiogenesis.

Key words

Angiogenesis - Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) - Doppler ultrasound - Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)