Power Doppler ultrasonographic assessment of the joint-draining lymph node complex in rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective, proof-of-concept study on treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors

Background Emerging research on the mechanisms of disease chronicity in experimental arthritis has included a new focus on the draining lymph node (LN). Here, we combined clinical-serological analyses and power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) imaging to delineate noninvasively the reciprocal relationship in vivo between the joint and the draining LN in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Forty consecutive patients refractory to conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were examined through parallel PDUS of the hand-wrist joints and axillary LNs and compared with 20... Mehr ...