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DOI: 10.48087/BJMS.2026.130109
Authors: Sihem KOURTAA, Assia HADDOUCHE, Sabrina AMRIT, Fella HANNI
Keywords: hand osteoarthritis, pain, musculoskeletal ultrasound.
Abstract
Objective: To study the relationship between structural abnormalities on musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSU) and the clinical signs of hand osteoarthritis (HO). Patients and Methods: We included 116 patients with HO (109 women and 7 men; mean age 66 years) according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria and the modified Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) radiographic score. We recorded clinical characteristics (number of painful and swollen joints, visual analogue scale [VAS] pain on palpation, VAS global pain, stiffness and fatigue, and the Dreiser functional score) as well as structural ultrasound abnormalities (osteophytes, joint space narrowing, and erosions) in 28 distinct joints. The associations between the different clinical and ultrasound scores were analyzed using Pearson’s r coefficient. Results: We evaluated 3,248 joints. The frequencies of osteophytes, joint space narrowing, and erosions were 73.3%, 64.8%, and 11%, respectively. There was a weak but significant association between osteophytes and clinical scores (number of tender joints on palpation, number of swollen joints, and VAS pain on palpation); between erosions and clinical scores (VAS global pain, VAS pain on palpation, and Dreiser score); and between joint space narrowing and the number of swollen joints. We also observed a moderate correlation between erosions and two clinical scores: number of tender joints and number of swollen joints. Conclusion: Structural lesions detected on ultrasound are associated with the clinical signs of hand osteoarthritis, particularly at the individual joint level.