Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Osteoarthritis and Bone Disorders

Bone Turnover Markers Show Link to Iliac Histomorphometry in Older Women

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Although histomorphometry of iliac bone gives precise results, bone turnover markers provide a better reflection of the overall skeleton in untreated postmenopausal osteoporotic women, according to French researchers. Bone histomorphometry allows study of bone remodeling at the basic structural unit level, Dr. Pascale Chavassieux and colleagues at the University of Lyon note…

Zimmer Wins First U.S. Trial over NexGen Flex Knee Devices

Jessica Dye  |  

(Reuters)—Indiana-based medical device manufacturer Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. on Friday was cleared of liability in the first of more than 900 U.S. lawsuits to go to trial over claims that its NexGen Flex knee replacements were prone to painful, motion-impairing loosening. Following a three-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of…

Low-Grade Inflammation in Symptomatic Knee OA

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Although osteoarthritis (OA) was formerly considered a non-inflammatory joint disease, it’s now well-appreciated that inflammatory mediators, such as PGE2 and IL-1β, are produced by osteoarthritic joint tissues and can be used to identify patients with symptomatic knee OA. A peripheral blood leukocyte inflammatory transcriptome identifies a subset of symptomatic knee OA patients at higher risk for radiographic progression and may reflect persistent low-grade joint inflammation…

BMI Feasible As Pre-Screening Tool for Osteoporosis in Women

Larry Hand  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A body mass index (BMI) of less than 28 alone may be a tool to prescreen younger postmenopausal women for osteoporosis, according to a new study. “For young postmenopausal white women aged 50–64, current prescreening modalities identifying candidates for DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan … are not performing better than BMI alone,”…

Knee Replacement Surgery Works, but So Can Nonsurgical Techniques

Gene Emery  |  

(Reuters Health)—Total knee replacement can usually relieve pain and improve function, but a nonsurgical regimen can also be effective in some people without posing the complication risks of surgery, according to a new study. The study found that while 85% of patients who underwent surgery showed clinically-significant improvement after one year, so did 67% assigned…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Coding for a Knee Injection

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Take the challenge. CPT: 20611-LT, J7325 X 1 ICD-9: 715.16—Osteoarthritis, localized, primary, lower leg ICD-10: M17.12—Unilateral pri- mary osteoarthritis, left knee Note: When billing for 20611—Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (e.g., shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa), with permanent recording and reporting, there must be a permanent photograph of the needle placement in…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: Coding for a Knee Injection

From the College  |  

Coding for a Knee Injection A 68-year-old female patient with primary osteoarthritis of the left knee returns to the office for her scheduled hyaluronan injection. The patient reports that her knee is a little tender, but on a scale of 1–10, it is a 4. She is stiff in the morning for 10–20 minutes. The…

Bone Loss Common in Suspected Spondyloarthritis

David Douglas  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—More than 40% of patients with early inflammatory back pain suggestive of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) show bone loss over the course of two years, according to French researchers. SpA is known to be associated with bone loss at the spine and the hip and an increased risk of vertebral fractures. To investigate…