Stefania Gasparini

..To propose e-learning methods that address the fundamental problems related to sonographic training in rheumatology...

..Sonographic guidance is particularly useful when fluid collections are very small or when the inflammatory process is adjacent to anatomical structures that could be seriously damaged by the injection...

..The review highlights the current gaps in the literature, including a lack of reliability data with respect to intra-occasion and intra- and inter-reader reliability. Current work by our group is addressing these issues...

..The reliability of acquiring images was also enhanced using standardized positions. Future studies will assess the value of US in clinical trials...

..In conclusion, new imaging techniques and refinements of the established techniques have opened exciting perspectives in our understanding and treatment of many rheumatic diseases...

..This review provides an in-depth description of simple technical and methodological issues to guide the rheumatologist in daily clinical practice...

..The aim of this report was to analyze the potential role of US in the assessment and management of PsA and to discuss the current evidence supporting its application in daily clinical practice...

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..Indications, technical aspects and representative examples of the potential of ultrasonography are illustrated. Finally, education and training issues are briefly discussed...

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..Many technical aspects may affect the scanning process and a correct interpretation of sonographic images depends on several elements such as a deep knowledge of ultrasonography anatomy and pathology...

..The secondary aim was to determine the interobserver reliability of the Glasgow Ultrasound Enthesitis Scoring System (GUESS) and power Doppler (PD) technique in the assessment of enthesopathy...

..This paper aims to evaluate the internal and external responsiveness of the patient self-report questionnaires, comparatively to the traditional composite indices to assess the activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in everyday practice...

..The main aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between persistent disease activity and radiographic progression of joint damage in early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA)...

..In conclusion, the Italian version of the CPG questionnaire has shown to be valid and reliable for evaluating the severity of chronic musculoskeletal pain, with metric properties in agreement with the original, widely used version...

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..Follow-up will provide further information with respect to the predictive value of US findings for the development of symptomatic dialysis-related arthropathy...

..To investigate the role of elastosonography to improve the reliability of the ultrasound in the measurement of the dermal thickness at finger level in systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..The purpose of this study was to show the potential of the latest sonographic equipment using high-frequency probes and a very sensitive power Doppler (PD) technique in depicting both skin and nail changes in patients affected by psoriasis...

..Vertebral fractures are a common complication of osteoporosis and may have a negative effect on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We investigated the effect of prevalent vertebral fractures on HRQOL in patients with osteoporosis...

..The aim of this pictorial essay was to show the main high-frequency grayscale and power Doppler ultrasound findings in patients with psoriatic arthritis at joint, tendon, enthesis, skin, and nail level...

..The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of a simplified US B-lines scoring system compared with both the US comprehensive assessment and the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings of IPF in CTD patients...

..To assess health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with primary Raynaud phenomenon (RP)...

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..The aims of the present study were to investigate the clinical value of the provocative clinical tests and propose a composite index for the assessment of painful shoulder, using ultrasonography (US) as reference method...

..Our report illustrates the most relevant sonographic findings obtainable with the latest generation ultrasound equipment in patients with psoriatic arthritis...

..To evaluate the interobserver reliability of ultrasonography (US) in the assessment of cartilage damage at metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint level in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

..To investigate the potential of ultrasound (US) in the differential diagnosis between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) at metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints level...

..This study also provides an estimate of the impact of OA of the hip and knee on HRQL...

..To evaluate the ability of high resolution ultrasonography (US) in the diagnosis of erosive osteoarthritis (OA)...

..This study aims to investigate the relationship between clinical and US findings together with the prevalence and distribution of US findings indicative of monosodium urate (MSU) crystal deposition within the foot in patients with gout...

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..Its use could facilitate the appropriate and more cost-effective use of bone densitometry in developing countries...

..If symptoms are refractory to conservative measures, the option of surgical therapy may be considered...

..Our results support the use of separate subscores for upper limb function, lower limb function, and activities of daily living/work, and the appropriateness of reporting an overall score (i.e., the mean of the three subscales)...

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..This review focuses on the available scoring methods used for the sites most frequently involved in OA (hand, knee, hip) and their various advantages and disadvantages...

..g., occupational exposure. Differences with previous studies may be related to the current characteristics of the population surveyed...

..An appropriate diagnostic programme for patients with regional musculoskeletal pain has to be focused on the strengths and weaknesses of various imaging techniques...

..Discussion about controversies on this topic should be encouraged, leading to a progressive development of capillaroscopy as a routine investigation in rheumatology...

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..Also proposed for the first time are consensus US definitions for common pathological lesions seen in patients with inflammatory arthritis...

..To evaluate by clinical, laboratory, and sonographic assessment the effects of adalimumab therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over 24 months of treatment...