Abnormal ultrasound findings in rheumatological diseases (definitions)

Last revised by Subhan Iqbal on 24 Jun 2021

The OMERACT ultrasound group published a consensus in 2005 of widely accepted definitions of abnormal ultrasound findings in rheumatological diseases:

  • erosion: an intra-articular discontinuity of the bone surface that is visible in two orthogonal planes 4
  • joint effusion: abnormal hypoechoic or an anechoic (relative to subdermal fat, but sometimes isoechoic or hyperechoic) intra-articular material that is displaceable and compressible, but does not exhibit Doppler signal
  • synovitis: abnormal hypoechoic (relative to subdermal fat, but sometimes isoechoic or hyperechoic) intra-articular tissue that is non-displaceable, poorly compressible, and may exhibit Doppler signal
  • tenosynovitis: abnormal anechoic and/or hypoechoic (relative to tendon fibres) tendon sheath widening or distention, which can be related to the presence of both abnormal tenosynovial fluid and/or synovial hypertrophy
  • enthesitis: entheseal thickening, hypoechogenicity, and the presence of a Doppler signal as a marker of active inflammation

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