Joint involvement in patients with early polymyalgia rheumatica using high-resolution ultrasound and its contribution to the EULAR/ACR 2012 classification criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica.

OBJECTIVE

To assess joint involvement and the contribution of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) to the novel European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) 2012 classification criteria in patients with polymyalgia rheumatic (PMR).

METHODS

MSUS was performed in 54 consecutive patients with recent-onset PMR.

RESULTS

Biceps tenosynovitis of at least 1 shoulder has been observed in 70.4% of patients, and 64.8% had a bilateral biceps tenosynovitis. Subdeltoid bursitis (27.8% unilateral, 5.6% bilateral), glenohumeral synovitis (22.2% unilateral, 9.3% bilateral), and hip involvement (22.2% unilateral, 16.7% bilateral) were observed less frequently. The sensitivities of the classification criteria were 85.2% for EULAR/ACR without MSUS and 81.5% for EULAR/ACR with MSUS.

CONCLUSION

The most common MSUS pathology was a biceps tenosynovitis. However, US findings had no effect on the sensitivity of the novel EULAR/ACR criteria for PMR.