Ultrasound characteristics of osteophytes in psoriatic arthritis

Abstract

Objective. To assess the relationship between ultrasound and clinical characteristics of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and osteophytes detected by ultrasound (US).Methods. Data collection: demographical, clinical, antropometric (body mass index, BMI). US examination included 868 joints and 3348 entheses (bilateral shoulders, acromioclavicular joints, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles; entheses at the projection of these joints (total number is 54). In the joints – synovitis count, Power Doppler (PD) + synovitis count (SC), the number of joints with osteophytes; in entheses – Grey Scale (GS) enthesitis count (EC), PD + EC, count of entheses with structural components (erosion, enthesophytes, calcification).Results. In all, 62 PsA patients were examined: 32 (51.6%) were women, mean age was 43.0 ± 10.4 years, the duration of PsA was 7 (3; 10) years. The number of joints with osteophytes was 314 of 868 (36.2%). US osteophytes were detected in 51 (82.3%) patients. The number of joints with osteophytes correlated with GS EC (r = 0.398; p < 0.01), PD + EC (r = 0.302; p < 0.05), SC (r = 0.425; p < 0.01), and PD + SC (r = 0.322; p < 0.05). Patients without osteophytes, with local and generalized osteophytes were comparable by sex and duration of the disease. In patients with generalized osteophytes, GS EC (p < 0.05), PD + SC (p < 0.05), SC (p < 0.01), comorbid pathology (p < 0.05), BMI (p < 0.05) were significantly higher.Conclusion. The frequency of osteophytes in patients with PsA was high. The number of synovitis and enthesitis, both GC and PD+, was more common in patients with generalized osteophytes, which probably suggests an important role of entheseal and synovial inflammation in PsA in the development of osteophytes. BMI and the frequency of comorbidities in patients with generalized osteophytes were higher.