Ultrasonography applications in diagnosis and management of early rheumatoid arthritis.

Ultrasonography is an elegant tool for the detection of tenosynovitis, synovitis, and erosions very early in rheumatoid arthritis, and the presence of a power Doppler signal is one of the best predictors of joint damage. Although clinical scores remain the mainstay of disease activity assessment, ultrasonography has proved to be a remarkably robust tool for reliable assessment of changes in rheumatoid arthritis. There is no evidence to suggest that problems with operator dependence would be greater than with other imaging modalities or physical examination, if performed by trained providers.