Retronychia: A Case Report Including Ultrasound Imaging and Surgical Treatment. / Retroniquia: estudio ecográfico y tratamiento quirúrgico de un caso.

Retronychia is a recently described disorder caused by ingrowth of the proximal nail plate into the proximal nail fold. This situation provokes chronic paronychia refractory to antimicrobial therapy. Ultrasound has been proposed as the noninvasive method of choice to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other differential diagnoses, particularly local tumors and arthritic disease. The presence of 2 or more overlapping nail plates and a reduced distance between the root of the nail plate and the base of the distal phalanx could be the ultrasound hallmarks of this condition. Nail plate avulsion is the treatment of choice and is curative. Knowledge of retronychia is still limited among dermatologists, which can lead to diagnostic and therapeutic errors and delay. This has prompted us to present this new case.

Evolution in the use of musculoskeletal ultrasonography in a Rheumatology Unit over 14 years.

The aim of this article is to evaluate the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound in the daily clinical practice of a rheumatology unit. We conducted a descriptive retrospective analysis of the ultrasound examinations performed during 2011 and a comparison of these examinations with those performed between 1998 and 2003 and between 2007 and 2008. A total of 712 ultrasound examinations performed in 2011 were reviewed. Out of the total, examinations of individual areas of the body represented 11.6% versus 45.9% of the examinations made between 2007 and 2008 and 100% of those performed before 2003. The remaining 88.4% of ultrasound examinations performed in 2011 were intended to investigate inflammation in 25.8%, differential diagnosis of arthralgia in 17.1%, enthesis in 12.6% and temporal arteries in 17.3%, and to conduct ultrasound-guided procedures in 10.6% and study microcrystalline pathologies in 4.7%. In our unit, ultrasonography is evolving from being a mere investigation of individual areas of the body to becoming a clinical information tool, which contributes to the diagnosis and monitoring of the disease activity in the patient as a whole.

Guidelines for magnetic resonance imaging in axial spondyloarthritis: A Delphi study.

OBJECTIVE: The term axial spondyloarthritis refers to a group of chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases with a common genetic basis that course with axial and peripheral involvement and enthesitis. Recently, the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) established some diagnostic criteria, including for the first time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Given the difficulties of obtaining MRI in some environments and the lack of experience with axial spondyloarthritis, a group of radiologists and rheumatologists sought to establish some practical guidelines to ensure the correct use of MRI in this disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using the Delphi method, we used a questionnaire with 49 items stratified into 4 blocks to survey 46 experts in the MRI diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis. RESULTS: The experts agreed on 82% of the items. The degree of agreement was 100% in the block "Importance of early diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis", 69% in the block "Optimization of the use of MRI in the diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis", 93% in the block "Use of MRI in axial spondyloarthritis: Technical aspects", and 57% in the block "Usefulness of MRI in the prognosis, follow-up, and evaluation of the response to treatment in axial spondyloarthritis". CONCLUSIONS: Despite the importance of MRI in the early diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis, this study shows the need for standardization and points to relative disagreement about how to use MRI in the follow-up of the disease and evaluation of the response to treatment. The results of this study can help improve the use of MRI in axial spondyloarthritis.

Metabolic syndrome characteristics in gout patients.

Gout is commonly associated with obesity, arterial hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. However, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome has not been widely recognized in patients with gout. We studied 41 patients (37 males) with primary gout to assess the prevalence and characteristics of the associated metabolic syndrome. Twenty-one patients with gout (51%) showed >or=3 criteria for the metabolic syndrome. Pathological conditions associated were obesity (21/41), high blood pressure (30/41), dyslipidemia (30/41), and fasting plasma glucose >or= 100 mg/dL (22/41). The most frequent triad was the presence of increased waist circumference, elevated fasting plasma glucose, and hypertension. Mean serum urate concentration did not differ significantly in gout patients with the metabolic syndrome (8.5 mg/dl) and without (8.1 mg/dl). Given the complications associated with metabolic syndrome, its diagnosis may determine the long-term treatment of patients with gout.

Clinical and ultrasonographic findings related to knee pain in osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine clinical and sonographic factors associated with painful episodes in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: In this cross-sectional controlled study, patients with primary knee OA (ACR criteria) were prospectively placed into two groups. Group A: 81 patients with knee pain during physical activity >or=30 mm in visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain for at least 48 h prior to inclusion; Group B: 20 patients without knee pain from at least 1 month prior to inclusion. Clinical parameters, knee radiographic and ultrasonographic findings were collected. The sonographic study assessed joint effusion in the suprapatellar pouch, infrapatellar superficial and deep bursitis, meniscal lesions, anserine tendinobursitis, and Baker's cyst. RESULTS: Group A patients tended to be older and heavier women than group B (P<0.05). The most frequent radiographic stage was III (57%) in group A, and I (35%) and II (35%) in group B, showing differences in the distribution of each radiographic stage (P<0.005). The most frequent ultrasonographic finding in group A was suprapatellar effusion (79%), and in group B it was meniscal lesions (40%). Ultrasonographic findings showed in group A a significant increase of suprapatellar effusion (P<0.001) and a tendency towards an increase of Baker's cyst (P=0.06). Suprapatellar effusion, Baker's cyst, and body mass index (BMI) were the factors associated with the appearance of pain after the logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Suprapatellar effusion, Baker's cyst, and higher BMI are more frequent and seem to be risk factors of painful flare in OA of the knee.

[Infliximab (anti-TNF-alpha) treatment in patients with adult Still's disease. Experience in 2 cases]. / Tratamiento con infliximab (anti-TNF alfa) en pacientes con enfermedad de Still del adulto. Experiencia de dos casos.

Adult Still's disease is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. First-line treatment for Still's disease includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids. In refractory cases o when the dose of corticosteroid is unacceptably high, other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs have been used. But recent study showed the efficacy anti-TNF therapy in adult Sill's disease refractory to conventional therapy. We report a favourable response to infliximab in two patients who has proved resistant to conventional therapy.

[The hormonal changes in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis]. / Alteraciones hormonales en mujeres postmenopáusicas con artritis reumatoide.

We have studied the levels of sexual hormones in 45 female patients suffering seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients were classified in two groups. Group 1 (premenopausal), was formed by 26 women and group 11 (postmenopausal) by 19 women. They were compared to 40 control women (20 premenopausal and 20 postmenopausal). Age and body surface as similar in both groups. Mean estradiol, progesterone and androgen plasma levels in group 1 were similar to the premenopausal control group. On the contrary, group 11 patients presented a statistically significant increase in plasma androgen levels when compared to the postmenopausal control group. This seems to indicate that postmenopausal women suffering rheumatoid arthritis present a hyperandrogenic situation, which could have a beneficial effect on the clinical expression of the disease.

[Joint disease in idiopathic hemochromatosis]. / L'arthropathie dans l'hémochromatose idiopathique.

This study concerns seven patients with idiopathic haemochromatosis. The most common joint lesion involved the 2nd and 3rd metacarpophalangeal joints (MCP) and the wrists. The most frequent sites of chondrocalcinosis were the knees, the hips and the triangular ligament of the wrist. The most common radiological sign is osteoporosis, but the most typical appearance is degenerative joint disease localized to the MCP (2nd and 3rd) and to the wrist. The authors observed an association with HLA A3-B7, but no cases of association with A3-B14. Only one patient had hypo-uricaemia. The authors compare this series with those of other authors.