Power Doppler Ultrasonography Makes Waves

According to a research report published in the August issue of “Arthritis & Rheumatism”, Power Doppler ultrasonography monitors the response of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to the treatment with Anti-tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) agents more accurately than any other system does.

Dr. Esperanza Naredo of the Severo Ochoa Hospital in Madrid said that “Power Doppler ultrasonography” is more sensitive and that is why possibly more predictive than the clinical evaluation of the RA therapy. She also added that Power Doppler ultrasonography could be the tool that will be used in future for therapy monitoring in RA.

Dr. Naredo and her colleagues recently investigated two hundred and seventy eight patients with RA. They investigated in them the utility of Power Doppler ultrasonography in the assessment of synovitis and also the response of patients to Anti-TNF Therapy.

The authors have reported that changes in Power Doppler ultrasonography parameters were similar to clinical and functional measures of RA. And authors also noted that changes in the power Doppler signal had a significant correlation with the changes in the Disease Activity Score. Disease Activity Score is an ultrasound-measured synovial fluid, and is measured in ultrasound synovial hypertrophy.

By Jennifer Larson
radRounds.com Staff Writer
October 13, 2008