Objective To standardize and assess the reliability of ultrasonographic assessment of inflammatory and structural lesions in patients with hand osteoarthritis (OA). Methods The Outcome Measures in... Show moreObjective To standardize and assess the reliability of ultrasonographic assessment of inflammatory and structural lesions in patients with hand osteoarthritis (OA). Methods The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Ultrasound Working Group selected synovial hypertrophy (SH), joint effusion (JE), and power Doppler (PD) signals as the main inflammatory lesions in hand OA, and suggested osteophytes in the scapho-trapezio-trapezoid (STT) and cartilage defects in the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints as novel additions to previous structural scoring systems. A complementary imaging atlas provided detailed examples of the scores. A reliability exercise of static images was performed for the inflammatory features, followed by a patient-based exercise with 6 sonographers testing inflammatory and structural features in 12 hand OA patients. We used Cohen's kappa for intrareader and Light's kappa for interreader reliability for all features except PD, in which prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK) was applied. Percentage agreement was also assessed. Results The web-based reliability exercise demonstrated substantial intra- and interreader reliability for all inflammatory features (kappa > 0.64). In the patient-based exercise, intra- and interreader reliability, respectively, varied: SH kappa = 0.73 and 0.45; JE kappa = 0.70 and 0.55; PD PABAK = 0.90 and 0.88; PIP joint cartilage kappa = 0.56 and 0.45; and STT osteophytes kappa = 0.62 and 0.36. Percentage close agreement was high for all features (>85%). Conclusion With ultrasound, substantial to excellent intrareader reliability was found for inflammatory features of hand OA. Interreader reliability was moderate, but overall high close agreement between readers suggests that better reliability is achievable after further training. Assessment of osteophytes in the STT joint and cartilage in the PIP joints achieved less reliability and the latter is not endorsed. Show less
Costantino, F.; Carmona, L.; Boers, M.; Backhaus, M.; Balint, P.V.; Bruyn, G.A.; ... ; D'Agostino, M.A. 2021
Objective To produce European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the reporting of ultrasound studies in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Methods Based on the... Show moreObjective To produce European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the reporting of ultrasound studies in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Methods Based on the literature reviews and expert opinion (through Delphi surveys), a taskforce of 23 members (12 experts in ultrasound in RMDs, 9 in methodology and biostatistics together with a patient research partner and a health professional in rheumatology) developed a checklist of items to be reported in every RMD study using ultrasound. This checklist was further refined by involving a panel of 79 external experts (musculoskeletal imaging experts, methodologists, journal editors), who evaluated its comprehensibility, feasibility and comprehensiveness. Agreement on each proposed item was assessed with an 11-point Likert scale, grading from 0 (total disagreement) to 10 (full agreement). Results Two face-to-face meetings, as well as two Delphi rounds of voting, resulted in a final checklist of 23 items, including a glossary of terminology. Twenty-one of these were considered 'mandatory' items to be reported in every study (such as blinding, development of scoring systems, definition of target pathologies) and 2 'optional' to be reported only if applicable, such as possible confounding factors (ie, ambient conditions) or experience of the sonographers. Conclusion An EULAR taskforce developed a checklist to ensure transparent and comprehensive reporting of aspects concerning research and procedures that need to be presented in studies using ultrasound in RMDs. This checklist, if widely adopted by authors and editors, will greatly improve the interpretability of study development and results, including the assessment of validity, generalisability and applicability. Show less
Heijde, D. van der; Durez, P.; Schett, G.; Naredo, E.; Ostergaard, M.; Meszaros, G.; ... ; Fleischmann, R. 2018
Objectives To evaluate different global ultrasonographic (US) synovitis scoring systems as potential outcome measures of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) according to the Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid... Show moreObjectives To evaluate different global ultrasonographic (US) synovitis scoring systems as potential outcome measures of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) according to the Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials (OMERACT) filter. Methods To study selected global scoring systems, for the clinical, B mode and power Doppler techniques, the following joints were evaluated: 28 joints (28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28)), 20 joints (metacarpophalangeals (MCPs) + metatarsophalangeals (MTPs)) and 38 joints (28 joints + MTPs) using either a binary (yes/no) or a 0-3 grade. The study was a prospective, 4-month duration follow-up of 76 patients with RA requiring anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy (complete follow-up data: 66 patients). Intraobserver reliability was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), construct validity was evaluated using the Cronbach a test and external validity was evaluated using level of correlation between scoring system and C reactive protein (CRP). Sensitivity to change was evaluated using the standardised response mean. Discriminating capacity was evaluated using the standardised mean differences in patients considered by the doctor as significantly improved or not at the end of the study. Results Different clinimetric properties of various US scoring systems were at least as good as the clinical scores with, for example, intraobserver reliability ranging from 0.61 to 0.97 versus from 0.53 to 0.82, construct validity ranging from 0.76 to 0.89 versus from 0.76 to 0.88, correlation with CRP ranging from 0.28 to 0.34 versus from 0.28 to 0.35 and sensitivity to change ranging from 0.60 to 1.21 versus from 0.96 to 1.36 for US versus clinical scoring systems, respectively. Conclusion This study suggests that US evaluation of synovitis is an outcome measure at least as relevant as physical examination. Further studies are required in order to achieve optimal US scoring systems for monitoring patients with RA in clinical trials and in clinical practice. Show less
