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Power Doppler ultrasonography in the evaluation of infliximab treatment for sacroiliitis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) to detect changes in the sacroiliac joint regions after infliximab (an anti-TNF-α blocker) treatment in active axial ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. A total of 110 sacroiliac joints in 55 patients with active AS were detected by PDUS before and after the infliximab treatment. The color flow signals inside the sacroiliac joints were observed, and the resistance index (RI) was measured. The clinical condition of the AS patients was improved compared with their condition before the infliximab treatment. Before the treatment, color flow signals were observed in 103 joints, and the mean RI value was 0.56 ± 0.06. Three months after the first infliximab treatment, color flow signals were observed in 50 joints, and the mean RI value was 0.87 ± 0.11. There were more blood flow signals in the sacroiliac joints before the infliximab treatment in patients with active AS (p < 0.01), and the mean RI value was higher after the infliximab treatment (p < 0.01). The blood flow signals in the sacroiliac joints became weaker or even disappeared and the RI values increased in patients with active sacroiliitis after infliximab treatment. This result shows that PDUS can be used in the follow-up of patients with axial AS.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81171353/H1805). We affirm that we have no financial interest (payment, stock holdings, consultantship, honoraria, or employment) or relationship in the past years with any commercial company with potential interest in the subject matter enclosed in this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ultrasound, Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, 600 Yishan Rd, Shanghai, 200233, China

    Yeqing Jiang, Jiaan Zhu, Yunxia Huang, Fang Liu & Bing Hu

  2. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China

    Ling Chen

  3. Department of Rheumatology Immunology, Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China

    Qin Xue & Niansong Wang

  4. Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai, China

    Yizhou Hu

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  1. Yeqing Jiang
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  2. Ling Chen
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  3. Jiaan Zhu
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  4. Qin Xue
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  5. Niansong Wang
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  7. Fang Liu
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  8. Yizhou Hu
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  9. Bing Hu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiaan Zhu.

Additional information

L. Chen is co-first author for the article and she contributed equally.

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Jiang, Y., Chen, L., Zhu, J. et al. Power Doppler ultrasonography in the evaluation of infliximab treatment for sacroiliitis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Rheumatol Int 33, 2025–2029 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-013-2682-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-013-2682-7

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