Imaging

Ultrasound imaging for the rheumatologist II. Ultrasonography of the hand and wrist

E. Filippucci¹, A. Iagnocco², G. Meenagh³, L. Riente⁴, A. Delle Sedie⁴, S. Bombardieri⁴, G. Valesini², W. Grassi¹

Cattedra di Reumatologia, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Jesi, Italy; 2Cattedra di Reumatologia, Università Roma “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy; 3Department ofRheumatology, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, UK; 4Unità Operativa di Reumatologia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.

ABSTRACT

The hand is one of the anatomical regions most frequently explored by ultrasonography (US) in rheumatology. The last generation US systems equip-ped with high frequency probes allow for a quick and accurate assessment of even minimal pathological changes in patients with rheumatic conditions af- fecting the small joints and the soft tissues of the hand and wrist. Several studies have demonstrated the great value of US imaging of the hand and wrist in rheumatology but there are still controversial issues which yet have to be adequately addressed, particularly with regard to US semi-quantitative evaluation of synovitis and bone erosions in patients with chronic arthritis. This paper provides the basic knowledge, reviews the available evidence and discusses the potential of US in the evaluation of the hand and wrist

Key words

Ultrasonography, hand and wrist, small joints, finger tendons, median nerve.

Please address correspondence and reprint requests to: Prof. Walter Grassi,

Cattedra di Reumatologia, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ospedale “A. Murri”, Via dei Colli 52, 60035 Jesi (AN), Italy.

E-mail: walter.grassi@univpm.it

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2006; 24: 118-122.

© CLINICAL AND EXPERIMEMTAL RHEUMATOLOGY 2006.