Researchers found that adding a Sjögren’s ultrasound score into the ACR criteria boosted sensitivity to 84%, compared with 64% with ACR alone. Specificity dropped only slightly, falling from 91% to 89%.
Researchers at her center also wondered whether ultrasound might be able to replace minor salivary gland biopsy in the American-European Consensus Group criteria. They found they got better results when ultrasound assessment was added to the AECG criteria, with a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 96%. When ultrasound was substituted for the biopsy, sensitivity was just 68%, Dr. Jousse-Joulin said.
“US [ultrasound] could [be used to] follow primary Sjögren’s syndrome patients in evaluating structural abnormalities,” she said. “US has proved its importance to be added to the AECG criteria, but studies are required to evaluate this tool as an outcome measure.”
Thomas R. Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.
References
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- Kelly S, Humby F, Filer A, et al. Ultrasound-guided synovial biopsy: A safe, well-tolerated and reliable technique for obtaining high-quality synovial tissue from both large and small joints in early arthritis patients. Ann Rheum Dis. 2013 Dec 13 [Epub ahead of print].
- Cornec D, Jousse-Joulin S, Marhadour T, et al. Salivary gland ultrasonography improves the diagnostic performance of the 2012 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for Sjogren’s syndrome. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014 April 4 [Epub ahead of print].
