{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T12:11:12Z","timestamp":1789819872179,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,18]],"date-time":"2021-06-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1623974400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Healthcare"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The identification of biomarkers that help identify individuals at imminent risk of progression to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is of crucial importance for disease prevention. In recent years, several studies have highlighted the value of musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound (US) in predicting progression to inflammatory arthritis (IA) in individuals \u2018at-risk\u2019 of RA. These studies have highlighted the following main aspects: first, in RA-related autoantibody-positive individuals, MSK symptoms seem to develop before \u2018sub-clinical\u2019 joint inflammation occurs on US. Second, the detection of \u2018sub-clinical\u2019 synovitis (and\/or bone erosions) greatly increases the risk of IA development in these \u2018at-risk\u2019 individuals. US has a potential key role for better understanding the \u2018pre-clinical\u2019 stages in individuals \u2018at-risk\u2019 of RA, and for the early identification of those individuals at high risk of developing IA. Further research is needed to address questions on image analysis and standardization. In this review, we provide an overview of the most relevant studies which have investigated the value of US in the prediction of RA development in individuals \u2018at-risk\u2019 of RA who have MSK symptoms, but no clinical evidence of IA. We highlight recent insights, limitations, and future perspectives of US use in this important population.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare9060752","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,18]],"date-time":"2021-06-18T11:19:20Z","timestamp":1624015160000},"page":"752","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["What Is the Value of Ultrasound in Individuals \u2018At-Risk\u2019 of Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Do Not Have Clinical Synovitis?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Andrea","family":"Di Matteo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, \u201cCarlo Urbani\u201d Hospital, Jesi, 60035 Ancona, Italy"},{"name":"Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS74SA, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7713-9284","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Davide","family":"Corradini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rheumatology Unit, University of Cagliari and AOU University Clinic of Cagliari, 09042 Monserrato, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kulveer","family":"Mankia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS74SA, UK"},{"name":"National Institute for Health Research Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds LS74SA, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"312","DOI":"10.1136\/annrheumdis-2019-216716","article-title":"The earlier, the better or the worse? 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