J Rheumatol
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Ultrasonography is superior to clinical examination in the detection and localization of knee joint effusion in rheumatoid arthritis.
Musculoskeletal ultrasonography allows real-time imaging of joint structures and may be used to complement clinical examination in rheumatological practice. We compared ultrasonography (US) with clinical examination (CE) in the detection of effusion, suprapatellar bursitis, and Baker's cyst of the knee in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in order to determine whether US provided additional clinical information. ⋯ US is more sensitive than CE in the detection of suprapatellar bursitis, knee effusion, and Baker's cyst in RA. CE underestimates knee inflammation in RA. This has implications for the use of CE as a component of standardized disease activity scores and in guiding knee joint aspiration.