Table 2.
Repeated biopsy procedures
| Baseline | Repeat biopsy | P values | P values* | Missing (%) | |
| n | 103 | 103 | |||
| Months between biopsies† | 5.37 (5.50) | ||||
| Biopsy method | |||||
| US-NB, n (%) | 87 (84.5) | 88 (85.4) | |||
| US-P&F, n (%) | 11 (10.7) | 11 (10.7) | |||
| AGSB, n (%) | 5 (4.9) | 4 (3.9) | 0.94 | ||
| Diagnosis | |||||
| RA, n (%) | 100 (97.1) | 100 (97.1) | |||
| UA, n (%) | 1 (1.0) | 1 (1.0) | |||
| PsA, n (%) | 2 (1.9) | 2 (1.9) | 1.00 | ||
| Joint biopsied | |||||
| Elbow, n (%) | 2 (1.9) | 2 (1.9) | |||
| Wrist, n (%) | 70 (68.0) | 70 (68.0) | |||
| MCP, n (%) | 8 (7.8) | 8 (7.8) | |||
| Knee, n (%) | 20 (19.4) | 20 (19.4) | |||
| Ankle, n (%) | 2 (1.9) | 2 (1.9) | |||
| MTP, n (%) | 1 (1.0) | 1 (1.0) | 1.00 | 0.4 | |
| EULAR disease activity | |||||
| Remission, n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 28 (43.8) | |||
| Low activity, n (%) | 3 (3.4) | 4 (6.3) | |||
| Moderate activity, n (%) | 42 (47.7) | 21 (32.8) | |||
| High activity, n (%) | 43 (48.9) | 11 (17.2) | <0.01 | 29.9 | |
| Patient-reported outcome measures | |||||
| Pre-pain, mean (SD) | 54.96 (28.01) | 32.90 (26.01) | <0.01 | <0.01 | 2.5 |
| Post-pain, mean (SD) | 39.30 (29.29) | 27.05 (24.12) | <0.01 | 0.6 | 7.5 |
| Pre-swelling, mean (SD) | 50.46 (29.56) | 28.70 (25.32) | <0.01 | <0.01 | 5.3 |
| Post-swelling, mean (SD) | 34.94 (30.55) | 20.14 (22.79) | <0.01 | <0.01 | 9.5 |
| Pre-stiffness, mean (SD) | 57.16 (27.62) | 31.11 (24.27) | <0.01 | <0.01 | 5.3 |
| Post-stiffness, mean (SD) | 35.60 (29.55) | 22.54 (23.84) | <0.01 | 0.52 | 9.3 |
| Delta pain, mean (SD) | −15.23 (29.93) | −5.53 (21.13) | 0.01 | 0.62 | 7.6 |
| Delta swelling, mean (SD) | −15.04 (31.87) | −7.67 (26.41) | 0.06 | 0.70 | 9.9 |
| Delta stiffness, mean (SD) | −21.30 (32.70) | −7.90 (21.58) | <0.01 | 0.52 | 9.7 |
| Participate in another biopsy? | |||||
| Very unlikely, n (%) | 6 (10.5) | 5 (8.6) | |||
| Somewhat unlikely, n (%) | 2 (3.5) | 3 (5.2) | |||
| Not sure, n (%) | 8 (14.0) | 16 (27.6) | |||
| Somewhat likely, n (%) | 8 (14.0) | 8 (13.8) | |||
| Very likely, n (%) | 33 (57.9) | 26 (44.8) | 0.25 | 0.51 | 50.2 |
*P values adjusted for baseline or follow-up biopsy, disease activity, intra-articular or intramuscular corticosteroid injection during biopsy. P-values on post and delta values were also adjusted for prevalue.
†Mean for all in group.
EULAR, European League Against Rheumatism; GSB, arthroscopic-guided synovial biopsy; MCP, metacarpophalangeal; MTP, metatarsophalangeal; PsA, psoriatic arthritis; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; UA, undifferentiated arthritis; US-NB, ultrasound-guided needle biopsy; US-P&F, ultrasound-guided portal and forceps.