BACKGROUND: Hand involvement in scleroderma is a serious concern. Clinical tests to asses hand dysfunction are based on the experience of the clinician. OBJECTIVE: To asses if utrasonographic (US) measurement of A1 pulley thickness may be used as an indicator of hand mobility in scleroderma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional review board approval and patient informed consent was obtained. Twenty-eight patients affected suffering from scleroderma and 40 healthy controls were prospectively evaluated by two blinded radiologists with US, with a transducer operating at 17MHz. A1 pulley thickness was measured and correlated with the Hand Mobility in Scleroderma Test (HAMIS) and disease duration. RESULTS: The thickness of the A1 pulley was greater in sclerodermic patients than in controls (p < 0.05). Intra and inter-observer agreement were better for ultrasound (0.94;0.88) than for HAMIS tests (0.71;0.70). A good correlation between pulley thickness, hand mobility and disease duration was found (r = 0.78, p < 0.018; r = 0.54, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A1 pulley thickness measured on ultrasound correlates with hand mobility and disease duration. Ultrasound is an useful tool to evaluate hand disability in scleroderma.
BACKGROUND: Hand involvement in scleroderma is a serious concern. Clinical tests to asses hand dysfunction are based on the experience of the clinician. OBJECTIVE: To asses if utrasonographic (US) measurement of A1 pulley thickness may be used as an indicator of hand mobility in scleroderma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Institutional review board approval and patient informed consent was obtained. Twenty-eight patients affected suffering from scleroderma and 40 healthy controls were prospectively evaluated by two blinded radiologists with US, with a transducer operating at 17MHz. A1 pulley thickness was measured and correlated with the Hand Mobility in Scleroderma Test (HAMIS) and disease duration. RESULTS: The thickness of the A1 pulley was greater in sclerodermic patients than in controls (p < 0.05). Intra and inter-observer agreement were better for ultrasound (0.94;0.88) than for HAMIS tests (0.71;0.70). A good correlation between pulley thickness, hand mobility and disease duration was found (r = 0.78, p < 0.018; r = 0.54, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A1 pulley thickness measured on ultrasound correlates with hand mobility and disease duration. Ultrasound is an useful tool to evaluate hand disability in scleroderma.
Authors: Marwin Gutierrez; Carlos Pineda; Tomas Cazenave; Marco Piras; Gian Luca Erre; Antonella Draghessi; Rossella De Angelis; Walter Grassi Journal: Clin Rheumatol Date: 2014-02-18 Impact factor: 2.980
Authors: Suzanne L DeLea; Natalia R Chavez-Chiang; Janet L Poole; Hillary E Norton; Wilmer L Sibbitt; Arthur D Bankhurst Journal: Clin Rheumatol Date: 2011-01-15 Impact factor: 2.980