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MR Vol.14 No.2 indexに戻る
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MODERN RHEUMATOLOGY
Vol.14 No.2 |
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Power Doppler sonography for detection of intraarticular
vascularization in knee joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis
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| Reiji Kasukawa1 , Yukio Yamadera2, Atsushi Takahashi1,
Isao Takeda1 and Takashi Kanno1 |
(1) Division of Rheumatology, Ohta Nishinouchi
Hospital, 2-5-20 Nishinouchi, Koriyama, 963-8558, Japan
(2) Physiological Examination Unit, Ohta Nishinouchi Hospital, Koriyama, Japan |
Received: 26 August 2003 Accepted: 13 January
2004 |
| Abstract |
| A series of 47 knee joints in 24 patients with
rheumatoid arthritis were examined for intraarticular vascularization
by power Doppler sonography. The intensity of vascularization was
compared with the synovial effusion and proliferation evaluated by
gray-scale sonography and the clinical findings in the patients.
Vascularization was graded from 0 to 3 by counting the number of
color-flow signals: grade 0, no signals; grade one, 1?4 signals;
grade two, 5?8 signals; grade three, 9 or more signals. The grade
of vascularization correlated with the grade of synovial effusion
(P 0.01), the grade of synovial proliferation (P 0.05), and the serum
levels of C-reactive protein (P 0.05). It correlated inversely with
disease duration (P 0.01). Consistent with improvement of articular
inflammation, a decrease in the number of color-flow signals was
observed in two patients. Power Doppler sonography is suitable for
evaluating the intensity of synovitis and for monitoring the clinical
activity of rheumatoid patients. |
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| Key words |
| Knee joint synovitis -
Power Doppler sono-graphy (PDS) - Response to treatment - Rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) - Synovial
effusion |
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