Rheumatoid Arthritis: Uleryk E

Miller E, Roposch A, Uleryk E, Doria AS. · Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hamilton Health Science, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Room 2SRAD, Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5, Canada. · Acad Radiol. · Pubmed #19427982 No free full text.

Abstract: RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to systematically review the quality of papers on the clinimetric properties of magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis in peripheral joints. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of Medline, EMBASE, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, and the Cochrane Library was performed by using a systematic search strategy. Two independent reviewers evaluated selected articles by using Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) and Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) tools. Items were reported independently for STARD and QUADAS. RESULTS: Eighteen studies (validity, n = 18; reliability, n = 3; responsiveness, n = 3) were included. Their overall quality of reporting of methods was fair. Methodological problems with the STARD system included a lack of reporting of exclusion criteria (n = 14), partial or no information on operators' expertise (n = 14) or blinding (n = 18), and deficient information on study time frames (n = 12), treatments (n = 10), or indeterminate results (n = 18). The distribution of QUADAS scores was heterogeneous, with overall scores ranging between 3.5 (poor) and 16.5 (excellent) (maximum score, 17.5). CONCLUSIONS: The quality of reporting of methods in studies on the magnetic resonance imaging assessment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis is heterogeneous and fair overall. Further methodological refinement of research design should be sought in future studies to provide stronger evidence for the value of novel techniques in clinical settings.

Miller E, Uleryk E, Doria AS. · Department of Radiology, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. · AJR Am J Roentgenol. · Pubmed #19380543 No free full text.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to semiquantitatively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for evaluation of synovium and cartilage of peripheral joints in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) according to the levels of evidence and recommendations of the Canadian Task Force on Periodic Health Examination guidelines. CONCLUSION: Articles were screened using MEDLINE, EMBASE, DARE, and the Cochrane Library. Two independent reviewers assessed whether the currently available MRI techniques are accurate for diagnosis of synovial hypertrophy and cartilage degeneration in children with JIA. Overall, there is fair (grade B) strength of evidence that MRI is an accurate diagnostic method for evaluating synovium and cartilage and for assessing clinical responsiveness to treatment in peripheral joints in JIA.