Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in inflammatory arthritis

Abstract

The degree of inflammation is the keystone of therapy management in rheumatoid arthritis and other arthritides. The assessment of synovial perfusion using power Doppler ultrasound is an important point in the quantification of the joint inflammation but it is limited by the subjectivity of the vascularization grading and incapacity to detect flows in very small vessels. Contrast agent improves the ultrasound ability to depict and quantify blood flows in synovitis. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) better differentiates synovitis from collection and distinguishes the active synovitis from inactive fibrotic or necrotic pannus. Quantitative assessment of inflammation is possible analyzing the time-intesity curves and by the correct measurement of the synovial thickness. The additional informations and the diagnostic value of CEUS in arthritides are still controversial but its excellent imaging of synovial vessels open the way for further clinical applications. This review aims to discuss the actual knowledges of CEUS in inflammatory arthritis.