Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2018 Dec 3;20(1):265.
doi: 10.1186/s13075-018-1762-1.

Standardisation of synovial biopsy analyses in rheumatic diseases: a consensus of the EULAR Synovitis and OMERACT Synovial Tissue Biopsy Groups

Aurélie Najm  1   2 , Benoît Le Goff  3   4 , Carl Orr  5 , Rogier Thurlings  6 , Juan D Cañete  7 , Frances Humby  8 , Stefano Alivernini  9 , Antonio Manzo  10 , Søren Andreas Just  11 , Vasco C Romão  12 , Veit Krenn  13 , Ulf Müller-Ladner  14 , Olga Addimanda  15 , Sander W Tas  16 , Maria Stoenoiu  17 , Laurent Meric de Bellefon  17 , Patrick Durez  17 , Vibeke Strand  18 , Mihir D Wechalekar  19 , Joao E Fonseca  12 , Bernard Lauwerys  17 , Ursula Fearon  20 , Douglas J Veale  5 ; EULAR Synovitis Study Group and OMERACT Synovial Tissue Special Interest Group
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Standardisation of synovial biopsy analyses in rheumatic diseases: a consensus of the EULAR Synovitis and OMERACT Synovial Tissue Biopsy Groups

Aurélie Najm et al. Arthritis Res Ther. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: The aim of this global collaboration was to develop a consensual set of items for the analysis of synovial biopsies in clinical practice and translational research through the EULAR Synovitis Study Group (ESSG) and OMERACT Synovial Tissue Biopsy Group.

Methods: Participants were consulted through a modified Delphi method. Three sequential rounds occurred over 12 months. Members were sent a written questionnaire containing items divided into two parts. Items were identified and formulated based on a scoping review. The first part of the questionnaire referred to synovial biopsies in clinical practice including five subsections, and the second part to translational research with six subsections. Every participant was asked to score each item on a 5-point Likert scale. Items with a median score above 3.5 and a ≥ 70% agreement were selected for the next round. The last round was conducted orally at EULAR in June 2017.

Results: Twenty-seven participants from 19 centers were contacted by email. Twenty participants from 17 centers answered. Response rates for next rounds were 100%. For the first part relating to clinical practice, 20/44 items (45.5%) were selected. For the second part relating to translational research, 18/43 items (41.9%) were selected for the final set.

Conclusions: We herein propose a consensual set of analysis items to be used for synovial biopsies conducted in clinical practice and translational research.

Keywords: Standardisation; Synovial biopsy; Synovial tissue analysis; Synovium.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart. IHC immunohistochemistry, RNA ribonucleic acid
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Orr C, Sousa E, Boyle DL, Buch MH, Buckley CD, Cañete JD, et al. Synovial tissue research: a state-of-the-art review. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2017;13:463–475. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2017.115. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kane D, Veale DJ, FitzGerald O, Reece R. Survey of arthroscopy performed by rheumatologists. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2002;41:210–215. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/41.2.210. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kelly S, Humby F, Filer A, et al. Ultrasound-guided synovial biopsy: a safe, well-tolerated and reliable technique for obtaining high-quality synovial tissue from both large and small joints in early arthritis patients. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015;74:611–617. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-204603. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Najm A, Orr C, Heymann M-F, Bart G, Veale DJ, Le Goff B. Success rate and utility of ultrasound-guided synovial biopsies in clinical practice. J Rheumatol. 2016;43:2113–2119. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.151441. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pitzalis C, Kelly S, Humby F. New learnings on the pathophysiology of RA from synovial biopsies. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2013;25:334–344. doi: 10.1097/BOR.0b013e32835fd8eb. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types