Photo Credit: Md Babul Hosen
The following is a summary of “Compression ratio: a novel method to quantify compressibility as a diagnostic measurement in giant cell arteritis,” published in the December 2024 issue of Rheumatology by Khurshid et al.
Ultrasound assessment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) focuses on detecting a non-compressible halo. Arterial compressibility remains unquantified despite methods for measuring wall thickness.
Researchers conducted a prospective study to quantify arterial compressibility in diagnosing GCA.
They measured the cross-sectional areas of uncompressed and compressed arteries using ultrasonography and calculated the compression ratio (CR). The relationship between CR and the diagnosis of GCA was tested, and diagnostic performance was compared with halo count (HC).
The results showed that CR values for the GCA arm (n=72) were significantly lower than the Not-GCA arm (n=232) in a cohort of 304 patients, both for individual patient mean and lowest CR value (Mann–Whitney U test, P<0.001). A threshold CR value of ≤2.3 was identified for predicting GCA diagnosis, potentially aiding in sonographer training and enhancing objectivity in GCA ultrasonography.
They concluded that compression ratio (CR) proved to be a valuable measure in the ultrasound assessment of GCA. Further research and clinical application could enhance diagnostic certainty for GCA.
Source: academic.oup.com/rheumatology/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/rheumatology/keae674/7922568
