Musculoskeletal ultrasonography for arthropathy assessment in patients with hemophilia: A single-center cross-sectional study from Shanxi Province, China

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is currently considered the gold standard for assessing hemophilic arthropathy (HA) severity; however, MRI is often costly, time-consuming, and difficult to perform in children. In the present study, we evaluated the joint status of hemophilic patients from Shanxi Province, China, using musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSKUS) and identified the factors that most strongly correlated with disease severity. The study included 104 patients with hemophilia, who underwent MSKUS examination. A total of 1248 joints (including the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle joints on both sides) from these patients were evaluated. Effusion, hypertrophy, cartilage modification, and bone erosion were assessed. The chi-square test was used to analyze categorical variables, and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between joint disease and risk factors. MSKUS allowed clear visualization of synovial lesions, effusion, cartilage modification, and bone surface damage; however, it was unable to identify changes deep within bones. The distribution of damaged joints was as follows: shoulder, 2 (1.0%); elbow, 80 (38.5%); wrist, 4 (1.9%); hip, 4 (1.9%); knee, 126 (60.6%); and ankle, 90 (43.3%). Damage was more common in the knee, elbow, and ankle joints than in the shoulder, wrist, and hip joints (P < .001). Among the 1248 joints, 306 showed lesions, which included effusion in 102 (8.2%) joints, synovium hypertrophy in 176 (14.1%), cartilage modification in 193 (15.5%), and bone damage in 176 (14.1%). Many joints had multiple lesions at the same time. The chi-square test and multivariate logistic analysis showed that age and hemophilia severity were significantly associated with joint disease, while type of hemophilia and treatment categories were not associated with joint disease. MSKUS is a convenient and cost-effective examination that can play an important role in the diagnosis and long-term monitoring of HA.