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AJR 2003; 181:761-769 Hypointense Synovial Lesions on T2-Weighted Images: Differential Diagnosis with Pathologic Correlation José A. Narváez, Javier Narváez, Raúl Ortega1, Eugenia De Lama1, Yolanda Roca1 and Noemí Vidal
Synovial tissue that lines joint cavities, bursae, and tendinous sheaths is generally too thin to be shown on MRI. However, as synovial tissue thickens...

Gout is a common disorder of uric acid metabolism that can lead to recurrent episodes of joint inflammation, tissue deposition of uric acid crystals, and joint destruction if left untreated. Unlike many other rheumatic diseases, gout is very treatable. A definitive diagnosis can be made using joint aspiration and synovial...

Gout is an inflammatory arthritis caused by cellular reaction to uric acid crystal deposition. Usually, gout is hyperacute in presentation, but it may progress to chronic arthritis or even present as chronic arthritis. Diagnosis is based on identification of causative crystals or classic radiographic findings but is not based on...

The amount of evidence concerning gout is surprisingly limited. This essay examines what is common knowledge from contemporary textbooks, to be supplemented by searching for evidence on treatment from systematic reviews, or clinical trials. Bandolier site

Gout and pseudogout are the 2 most common crystal-induced arthropathies. They are debilitating illnesses in which pain and joint inflammation are caused by the formation of crystals within the joint space. Gout is inflammation caused by monosodium urate monohydrate (MSU) crystals.
Pseudogout is inflammation caused by calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystals and is...

This is an anti-gout agent. Mode of action
* It acts by inhibiting the production of tubulin, a protein essential for the development of microtubules.
* These form the spindles essential for cell division, intracellular transport of vesicles and proteins, flagella reassembly, and the ameboid...

This can be defined as arthritis due to deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals within joints causing acute inflammation and eventual tissue damage. It has been aptly described as, "... one of the most painful acute conditions that human beings can experience ..."
The four types of gout are:
...

Gout prophylaxis is indicated in patients who have had an attack of gout.
Lifestyle modification
Manage risk factors
Prophylactic drugs

An ice pack may be useful, as may rest. The joint should be elevated and trauma avoided.
Pharmacological therapeutic options include:
* Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
* Colchicine
* Corticosteroids
* Other primarily analgesic compounds

Update on Gout: New Therapeutic Strategies and Options
Robert Terkeltaub, MD
Posted: 12/18/2009; Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2010;6(1)
The goal of this activity is to treat gout effectively and understand the role of new potential therapies for gout.
Abstract Gout, a disease recognized since antiquity, has increased in prevalence in recent years and the clinical...

Rule Developed to Diagnose Gout Using Clinical Variables
A rule for diagnosing gout uses 7 easily identifiable clinical variables and helps eliminate the need for joint fluid aspiration in some patients.
The 7 variables, which the researchers describe as "easily ascertainable in primary care," include male sex, previous patient-reported arthritis attack, onset...

Hyperuricemia is the most important risk factor for gouty arthritis. The quandary is how to predict which patient with asymptomatic hyperuricemia will develop gouty arthritis. Can ultrasonography help identify hyperuricemic individuals at risk for developing gouty arthritis? In the previous issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy, Pineda and colleagues found ultrasonography changes suggestive of gouty arthritis in 25%...

Conclusions The contemporary incidence of gout in UK remains substantial. In this general population cohort, associations with previously purported risk factors were evident including psoriasis, heart failure, hypertriglyceridemia, and cyclosporine therapy. Use of gout-specific treatment has remained relatively constant in recent years except for an increase of colchicine.
Contemporary epidemiology of gout...

Gout prevalence increased in recent years to become one of the most common causes of inflammatory arthritis in most industrialised countries. Comorbidities may affect the disease severity and treatment patterns. We describe the main characteristics of gout patients, gout-related treatment patterns and prevalent comorbidities in a managed care population.
Conclusions Comorbidities affected...

This invited paper provides a summary of a keynote lecture delivered at the 2011 Australasian Podiatry Conference. Gout is the most prevalent inflammatory arthropathy. It displays a striking predilection to affect the first metatarsophalangeal joint as well as joints within the mid-foot and ankle. A number of factors are known...