The comparisons between thermography and ultrasonography with physical examination for wrist joint assessment in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess infrared thermography (IRT) and ultrasonography (US) for detecting wrist arthritis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients. Although IRT could help us in detecting joint inflammation, IRT studies in JIA patients with wrist arthritis are still limited. Currently, no validated US criteria exist for detecting arthritis, and the most useful parameters between gray-scale ultrasound (GSUS) or power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) remain unclear. APPROACH: Forty-six JIA patients were included in this study. Detecting wrist arthritis at varying degrees using IRT and US were compared with physical examination. MAIN RESULTS: ⩾ 32.3 °C, respectively. For US, GSUS and PDUS are useful in detecting arthritis, providing high sensitivity (83.3%) and specificity (81.3%). SIGNIFICANCE: Our study demonstrated that both IRT and US were applicable tools for detecting wrist arthritis.