Role of Ultrasound Imaging in Diagnosis of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic rheumatic disease of childhood and an important cause of acquired disability in children . Despite the heterogeneity, all forms of JIA are characterized by prolonged synovial inflammation that can cause cartilage and bone damage, with severe impairment of physical function and impact on the quality of life. The presence of joint involvement in JIA may be expressed by ultrasonography findings such as synovial proliferation, effusion, cartilage thinning and bone erosions. US has demonstrated higher sensitivity in detecting synovitis compared to clinical examination MSUS is commonly regarded as a very useful tool in children, as outlined by the results of recent national and international surveys among pediatric rheumatologists .For most of the respondents, MSUS owned particular relevance for the ability to detect subclinical synovitis and to improve the classification of patients in JIA subtypes, as guidance to intraarticular corticosteroid injections and for capturing early articular damage. In addition, some specific joints were considered as most suited to be studied by MSUS, specifically the midfoot, the ankle, the hip, the wrist, the small joints of hands and feet. .