Skip Navigation



Rheumatology Advance Access published online on March 1, 2006
Rheumatology, doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kel057
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
45/9/1125    most recent
kel057v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Scheunemann, I.
Right arrow Articles by Roth, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Scheunemann, I.
Right arrow Articles by Roth, J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received August 11, 2005
Accepted January 27, 2006

Concise Report

Phalangeal bone ultrasound is of limited value in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

I. Scheunemann 1, G. E. Dannecker 2, and J. Roth 3 *

1 University Children's Hospital, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
2 Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Rheumatology, Olgahospital, 70176 Stuttgart, Germany
3 Pediatric Rheumatology, Charite Virchow Klinikum, 13353 Berlin, Germany

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Roth, E-mail: johannes.roth{at}charite.de


  Abstract

Objective. In children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), alterations of the skeletal system have been described. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate a phalangeal bone ultrasound device in the assessment of the skeletal status in children with active JIA.

Methods. In 49 children with oligoarticular, polyarticular or systemic JIA, the speed of an ultrasound signal (Ad-SOS) through the phalanges of the dominant hand was measured using the Igea 1200.

Results. Children in all subgroups were significantly smaller than those in the reference population, but there were no significant deficits in Ad-SOS. The finger width was reduced only in patients with polyarticular JIA. The Ad-SOS correlated highly with height, but no correlation between the finger width and Ad-SOS, and no correlation between the standard deviation scores of body height and Ad-SOS were seen.

Conclusions. Phalangeal ultrasound is strongly dependent on body and therefore bone size, but other parameters of bone and soft tissues influence the measurements as well. It is not possible to differentiate as to which extent the various components of bone and soft tissue influence the measurement results. Ultrasound might therefore be of limited value in the assessment or screening of the skeletal system in children with JIA.

Keywords: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis; Ultrasound; Bone; Musculoskeletal system..
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.