TY - JOUR T1 - The Sound of Enthesis JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1986 LP - 1988 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.100725 VL - 37 IS - 10 AU - WALTER GRASSI AU - MARWIN GUTIERREZ AU - EMILIO FILIPPUCCI Y1 - 2010/10/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/37/10/1986.abstract N2 - The enthesis, a 1-millimeter universe, is an area of great interest for the spondyloarthritis (SpA) research community. Our understanding of this critical anatomical area has dramatically improved over the past few years, but much remains to be learned. Ultrasonography (US) provides an innovative approach to the investigation of this still mysterious point of union between bone and other anatomical structures (tendon, ligament, aponeurosis, capsule)1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.Entheses appear to be perfect targets for US because most of them are superficial and can be explored with very high frequency probes9,10,11,12. The availability of high-resolution equipment has opened up new and fascinating possibilities in the assessment of minimal details of tendons, fibrocartilage, and bone surface. The level of spatial resolution of widely available 18 MHz probes has broken the 0.1-mm barrier, allowing access to an impressive amount of otherwise unobtainable images of the various phases of early and late inflammatory and degenerative changes involving the enthesis. This plethora of images can be problematic. US researchers are facing the challenge of how best to interpret, organize, and classify an incredibly wide range of new findings. These challenges are similar to those … Address correspondence to Prof. Grassi. E-mail: walter.grassi{at}univpm.it ER -