Ultrasound in the Management of PsA

Ultrasound may be a promising tool for diagnosing and managing psoriatic arthritis (PsA), with 3 proposed algorithms to guide its clinical use, a recent systematic literature review published in The Journal of Rheumatology concluded.

The 3 algorithms to use in clinical settings were “suspicion of PsA, management of PsA with good clinical response, and management of PsA with insufficient clinical response,” the team said.

The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) 2015 imaging recommendations for spondyloarthritis include ultrasound for PsA, but the management guidelines for PsA were not specific.

A group of 10 rheumatologists experienced in imaging and musculoskeletal ultrasound took on the job of formulating key questions appraising the available evidence, and proposing algorithms on the application of ultrasound in suspected or established PsA, based on both literature and experts’ opinions, following a Delphi process.

Through the 120 articles, the results showed a predominant focus on the diagnostic process.

The team, however, noted that further studies are needed “to define remission and to assess ultrasound ability to predict disease severity.”

Reference:
Gouze H, Backhaus M, Balint P et al. Ultrasound in the management of patients with psoriatic arthritis: Systematic literature review and novel algorithms for pragmatic use. The Journ of Rheum. September 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.2023-0091