TY - JOUR T1 - The OMERACT Ultrasound Group: status of current activities and research directions. JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 848 LP - 851 VL - 34 IS - 4 AU - Richard J Wakefield AU - Maria-Antonietta D'Agostino AU - Annamaria Iagnocco AU - Emilio Filippucci AU - Marina Backhaus AU - Alexander K Scheel AU - Fredrick Joshua AU - Esperanza Naredo AU - Wolfgang A Schmidt AU - Walter Grassi AU - Ingrid Moller AU - Carlos Pineda AU - Andrea Klauser AU - Marcin Szkudlarek AU - Lene Terslev AU - Peter Balint AU - George A W Bruyn AU - Wijnand A A Swen AU - Sandrine Jousse-Joulin AU - David Kane AU - Juhani M Koski AU - Philip O'Connor AU - Sanja Milutinovic AU - Philip G Conaghan AU - OMERACT Ultrasound Group Y1 - 2007/04/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/34/4/848.abstract N2 - Ultrasound (US) is a relatively new imaging modality in rheumatology that offers great potential as a diagnostic and management tool. In 2004, an OMERACT Ultrasound Special Interest Group was formed to address the metric qualities of US as a potential outcome measure. A preliminary systematic review highlighted the deficiencies in the literature, particularly with regard to the reliability of interpreting and acquiring images; as a consequence, a number of exercises were proposed to address these issues. This report describes a series of iterative studies that have resulted in improved intra- and inter-reader reliability for detecting and scoring synovitis from both static and real-time images of the hand joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The reliability of acquiring images was also enhanced using standardized positions. Future studies will assess the value of US in clinical trials. ER -