Spondyloarthritis & psoriatic arthritis
Diagnostic Value and Treatment Responsiveness of Ultrasonography Features in Correlation With Clinical Findings in Early Peripheral Spondyloarthritis
Authors' conclusion
Ultrasonography in enthesitis and arthritis demonstrates high responsiveness to TNFα inhibition in early pSpA but is limited by nonspecific findings and clinical overestimation of enthesitis.
Study context
- Population
- Very early peripheral spondyloarthritis (pSpA) (symptom duration < 12 weeks); standardized clinical and ultrasonography evaluation of four pairs of entheses and eight pairs of lower limb joints
- Participants
- 54 participants
- Comparison
- Ultrasonography features vs clinical findings of joints and entheses; golimumab vs placebo for ultrasonography response
- Primary endpoint
- Diagnostic performance of ultrasonography features in evaluation of enthesitis and arthritis: prevalence, correlation with clinical findings and response to treatment
Methodological detailsdouble-blinded, placebo-controlled
- Double-blinded
- Placebo-controlled
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Ultrasonography predictors of clinical findings at baseline
- Power Doppler (PD) ≥1 predicting a swollen joint, OR
- 9.5
- Ultrasonography joint effusion predicting a swollen joint, OR
- 8.3
- Clinically tender entheses with no ultrasonography abnormality
- 45% (21 of 46)
- Nontender entheses with ultrasonography abnormality
- 19% (72 of 386)
- Entheseal thickening predicting tenderness (432 entheses), OR
- 10.89
- Entheseal PD ≥1 predicting tenderness (432 entheses), OR
- 5.94
Further findings
Treatment responsiveness of ultrasonography features
- Golimumab vs placebo significantly predicted resolution of PD signal, synovial hypertrophy and joint effusion
- Golimumab associated with disappearance of entheseal thickening, hypoechogenicity and PD signal
Original publication
Diagnostic Value and Treatment Responsiveness of Ultrasonography Features in Correlation With Clinical Findings in Early Peripheral Spondyloarthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. Published 23 June 2026. doi:10.
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