A randomised, double-blinded, controlled trial of ultrasound guided and conventional clinical examination guided intra-articular corticosteroid injection of large and medium synovial joints in inflammation arthritis

Completed

• Conditions: Arthritis; All inflammatory arthritidies; Musculoskeletal Diseases

• Registration Number: ISRCTN75459849
• Lead Sponsor: ewcastle Hospitals NHS Trust (UK)

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2007-01-26
• Last Update Posted: 13 January 2015

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: Not specified
• Target Recruitment: 240

Inclusion Criteria

1. Patients who fulfil the American Rheumatology Association (ARA) Criteria for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) or have an established diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis
2. Age greater than 16 years
3. Presentation with an exacerbation of pain and/or stiffness and/or local findings of synovitis (at least two out of the three) of one of either the shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee or ankle joint (hip is excluded as we believe it should only be injected with imaging guidance)
4. Patients must be able to comply with the protocol and give their written informed consent to participate

Exclusion Criteria

1. Radiological evidence of severe joint disease as assessed by previous x-ray of the affected joint
2. Patients receiving treatment for RA and not stabilised on Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) and/or corticosteroid therapy for one month or longer
3. Evidence of co-existent sepsis
4. A second joint requiring immediate corticosteroid injection
5. An acute flare of RA deemed severe enough by the patient?s supervising clinician to require an alteration in DMARD therapy
6. Use of intra-articular or intra-muscular steroids in the 28 days prior to study entry
7. Allergy to corticosteroids or contrast material

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The primary endpoint of the study is the degree of improvement in loss of function at day 14 measured using a visual analogue scale.