Table 3.

Effect of peri-biopsy corticosteroid therapy

Prebiopsy	Postbiopsy	P values*	P values†
Without IM or IA steroid
US-NB (n=321)
Pain (mean (SD))	53.6 (28.9)	41.4 (30.4)	<0.001	<0.001
Stiffness (mean (SD))	51.9 (30.4)	39.4 (30.8)	<0.001	<0.001
Swelling (mean (SD))	50.9 (30.9)	38.2 (30.1)	<0.001	<0.001
US-P&F (n=62)
Pain (mean (SD))	43.7 (32.5)	31.6 (27.2)	0.003	0.005
Stiffness (mean (SD))	45.5 (33.7)	33.4 (27.6)	0.003	0.006
Swelling (mean (SD))	39.3 (32.7)	30.7 (26.4)	0.021	0.029
AGSB (n=41)
Pain (mean (SD))	62.3 (23.5)	49.3 (22.4)	0.017	0.001
Stiffness (mean (SD))	45.4 (31.5)	38 (26.6)	0.296	0.001
Swelling (mean (SD))	49.6 (30.9)	41.7 (28.2)	0.198	<0.001
With IM or IA steroid
US-NB (n=81)
Pain (mean (SD))	46.3 (29.4)	31.8 (26.9)	0.001	<0.001
Stiffness (mean (SD))	49.8 (30.1)	31.2 (28.2)	<0.001	0.001
Swelling (mean (SD))	47.8 (29.9)	27.3 (27.7)	<0.001	<0.001
US-P&F (n=3)
Pain (mean (SD))	84.7 (7.2)	49.3 (33.5)	0.173	0.279
Stiffness (mean (SD))	83.7 (8.1)	40.7 (42.4)	0.192	0.304
Swelling (mean (SD))	76 (21.3)	42 (36)	0.189	0.300
AGSB (n=16)
Pain (mean (SD))	62.9 (26)	28.9 (16.1)	<0.001	<0.001
Stiffness (mean (SD))	57.5 (25.2)	31.8 (20.4)	<0.001	<0.001
Swelling (mean (SD))	61.9 (23.0)	24.2 (14.2)	<0.001	<0.001

*P value by unadjusted cluster linear regression.

†Here adjusted for disease activity and pre-PRO value.

AGSB, arthroscopic-guided synovial biopsy; IA, intra-articular; IM, intramuscular; US-NB, ultrasound-guided needle biopsy; US-P&F, ultrasound-guided portal and forceps.