ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Comparison in values of color flow signals and vascular resistance of synovial vascularity demonstrated by Doppler sonography between knee and metacarpophalangeal joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis
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Reiji Kasukawa1 , Yukiko Kanno1, Fumiko Homma1, Yukio Yamadera2 and Takashi Kanno1
| (1) |
Division of Rheumatology, Physiological Examination Unit, Ohta Nishinouchi Hospital, 2-5-20 Nishinouchi, Koriyama 963-8558, Japan |
| (2) |
Physiological Examination Unit, Ohta Nishinouchi Hospital, Koriyama, Japan |
Received: 14 April 2005 Accepted: 16 June 2005
Abstract Synovial vascularity of 12 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was examined by Doppler sonography for color flow signals and vascular resistance on knee joints and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, and the results were compared with each other and with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels of the patients. A significant correlation was observed between knee resistance index (RI) and MCP-RI (P = 0.0140), but not between knee color flow signals and MCP color flow signals (P = 0.1029). A significant correlation was also observed between knee color flow signals and knee RI (P = 0.0107), and knee pulsatility index (PI) (P = 0.0146). On the other hand, no correlation was observed between MCP color flow signals and MCP-RI (P = 0.828), and MCP-PI (P = 0.434). There was no significant correlation between CRP levels and grades of color flow signals, RI, and PI for both knee and MCP joints. Doppler sonographic evaluation of RI, especially knee RI, could be a useful marker for estimating synovial inflammation in RA patients.
Key words Color flow signals - C-reactive protein (CRP) - Knee joints - Metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints - Resistance index (RI)
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