@article{3190101,
    title = "Joint microwave radiometry for inflammatory arthritis assessment",
    author = "Laskari, Katerina and Pentazos, George and Pitsilka, Despina and and Raftakis, John and Konstantonis, George and Toutouzas, Konstantinos and and Siores, Elias and Tektonidou, Maria and Sfikakis, Petros P.",
    journal = "Rheumatology (Bulgaria)",
    year = "2020",
    volume = "59",
    number = "4",
    pages = "839-844",
    publisher = "Oxford University Press",
    doi = "10.1093/rheumatology/kez373",
    keywords = "biomarker; temperature; inflammation; microwave radiometry; disease
activity; rheumatoid arthritis; ultrasonography",
    abstract = "Objectives. Increased in-depth joint temperature measured by the rapid,
easy-to-perform microwave radiometry (MWR) method may reflect
inflammation, even in the absence of clinical signs. We hypothesized
that MWR is useful for RA and spondyloarthritis patients’ assessment.
Methods. Clinical examination, joint ultrasound and/or MRI and MWR were
performed in two independent patient-control cohorts (n = 243).
Results. Among single RA joints MWR performed best in the knee using
ultrasound as reference, with 75% sensitivity-73% specificity for
grey-scale synovitis score 2, and 80% sensitivity-82% specificity for
power Doppler positivity. A stronger agreement was evident between
increased knee relative temperature (Delta t) and power Doppler
positivity (82%) than with clinical examination (76%). In a different
patient cohort with painful knees, a knee Delta t <= 0.2 predicted power
Doppler positivity with 100% positive and negative predictive values. A
thermo-score summing 10 Delta t values of three large and seven small RA
joints (elbow, knee, ankle, wrist, four hand and two foot joints of the
clinically dominant arm or hand and leg or foot) correlated with
ultrasound scores of synovitis/tenosynovitis (all P < 0.001) and the
28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) (P = 0.004). The agreement of
the thermo-score with ultrasound-defined joint inflammation (82%) was
stronger than with DAS28 (64%). The thermo-score improved significantly
after 90 days of treatment in patients with active RA at baseline (P =
0.004). Using MRI as reference, Delta t of sacroiliac joints could
discriminate between spondyloarthritis patients with or without
sacroiliitis with 78% sensitivity-74% specificity.
Conclusion. In-depth increased MWR-derived joint temperature reflects
both subclinical and clinically overt inflammation and may serve as a
biomarker in arthritis."
}