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
. 2021 Feb 5;100(5):e24417.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000024417.

Evaluation of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for activity of rheumatoid arthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Yunpei Zhu  1 , Ping Sui  1 , Cong Wang  1 , Hui Wang  1 , Zhihong Wen  2
Affiliations

Evaluation of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for activity of rheumatoid arthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Yunpei Zhu et al. Medicine (Baltimore). .

Abstract

Background: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) refers to a technique that uses contrast medium to strengthen the echo of backscatter, which can significantly improve the resolution, sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound diagnosis. As a quantitative imaging examination of blood flow signals, CEUS has allowed detection of synovial microvascularization in the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the results of these studies have been contradictory. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the value of CEUS in the activity of RA disease.

Methods: We will search PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CNKI from their inception to the December 20, 2020, without restrictions of language and publication status. Two investigators will independently carry out searching literature records, scanning titles and abstracts, full texts, collecting data, and assessing risk of bias. This study will only include high quality clinical cohort or case control studies. Statistical analysis was performed by using the Review Manager version 5.3 and the STATA version 14.0 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX, USA) softwares.

Results: This systematic review will determine the value of CEUS in RA activity scores.

Conclusion: The results of this study will provide a useful basis for high-quality CEUS to evaluate RA activity score.

Systematic review registration: INPLASY2020120125.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interests to disclose.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Moon Young-Mee, Yoon Bo-Young, Her Yang-Mi, et al. IL-32 and IL-17 interact and have the potential to aggravate osteoclastogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther 2012;14:246. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Perpétuo Inês Pedro, Caetano-Lopes Joana, Rodrigues Ana Maria, et al. Methotrexate and low-dose prednisolone downregulate osteoclast function by decreasing receptor activator of nuclear factor-κβ expression in monocytes from patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. RMD Open 2017;3:e000365. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yang J, Shao Q, Wu J. Correlation between high-frequency ultrasonography of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis and anti-CCP antibody. Medicine (Baltimore) 2019;98:e14083. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rhodes Laura A, Tan Ai Lyn, Tanner Steven F, et al. Regional variation and differential response to therapy for knee synovitis adjacent to the cartilage-pannus junction and suprapatellar pouch in inflammatory arthritis: implications for pathogenesis and treatment. Arthritis Rheum 2004;50:2428–32. - PubMed
    1. Luo Y, Xu D, Cao Z, et al. Traditional therapies of Zhuang medicine improve pain and joint dysfunction of patients in rheumatoid arthritis: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore) 2020;99:e22264. - PMC - PubMed