Studies comparing different imaging techniques or imaging versus palpation guidance at multiple joints and periarticular structures (PICO1)
| Year author | STUDY DESIGN | Imaging | Comparator | Disease | No Imaging/ Comparator | Intervention (COMPOUND) | SITE | FAVORS imaging* | FAVORS comparator* | No difference between imaging and comparator* | RoB† |
| US vs palpation guidance | |||||||||||
| 2011 Sibbitt35 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Inflammatory Arthritis | 124/120 | aspiration | joints | 1 x Safety (BSL, 2 w, 6 m) 2 x Efficacy (BSL to 12 m) | 1 x Cost/Time (BSL to 12 m) | 1 x Cost/Time (BSL to 12 m) |  |
| 2010 Cunnington36 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Inflammatory Arthritis | 91/89 | injection (triamcinolone, lidocaine, contrast agent iohexol) | joints | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) 1 x Efficacy (6 w) | 1 x Efficacy (2 w) | 1 x Safety (BSL, 2, 6 w) 3 x Efficacy (BSL, 2, 6 w) |  |
| 2009 Sibbitt37 | RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Painful arthritic joints (100 RA, 48 OA) | 74/74 | aspiration, injection (lidocaine, triamcinolone) | large and small joints | 1 x Safety (BSL,2w) 2 x Efficacy (2 w) | – | – |  |
| 2018 Nordberg34 | Secondary analysis of RCT | US | Palpation guidance | Early RA | 118 (285 joints) /112 (338 joints) | injection (triamcinolone) | joints | – | – | 1 x Efficacy (BSL,12m) |  |
| 2002 Balint38 | Prospective cross-sectional study | US | Palpation guidance | Patients for joint/soft tissue aspiration | 31/30 | aspiration and injection | joints/soft tissue | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) | – | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) |  |
| US vs CT | |||||||||||
| 2020 McKnee60 | Retrospective cross-sectional study | US | CT | Receiving imaging-guided synovial biopsy | 18/36 | synovial biopsy | joints | – | – | 1 x Accuracy (BSL) |  |
| US vs palpation guidance vs arthroscopy | |||||||||||
| 2018 Humby39 | Retrospective cohort study | US-NB/ US-P&F | Palpation guidance/ Arthroscopy | Inflammatory arthritis | US-NB: 31 US-P&F: 46 Palpation guidance: 23 Arthroscopy: 25 | Synovial biopsy | Small/large joints | – | – | 6 x Accuracy (BSL) | ⚫ |
*These columns indicate the number of outcomes studied and their categories (eg, 6 × efficacy indicates that six different outcomes related to the efficacy category were studied), with the respective time point(s) when the outcome was determined (parenthesis). The term ‘BSL’ refers to differences concerning the outcomes at BSL. A detailed description of studies and outcomes can be found in supplement.
†A green, yellow, red and black circle indicate low, moderate, high and critical risk of bias, respectively. In case multiple circles are depicted, certain outcomes within one study had different risk of bias.
NB; needle biopsy; BSL, baseline; n.a., not applicable; OA, osteoarthritis; P&F, portal and forceps; PICO, Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RCT, randomised controlled trial; RoB, Risk of Bias; US, ultrasound.;