Feasibility and perceptions among hemophilia patients and doctors towards ultrasound for the assessment of subclinical abnormalities in hemophilic joints.
4 affiliations
- 1Ultrasound Department, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.
- 2Department of Hematology, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.
- 3Department of Rehabilitation, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.
- 4Siemens Healthineers Ultrasound Division, Chengdu, China.
Abstract
This study explores the feasibility and perceptions of using ultrasound (US) for identifying subclinical abnormalities in hemophilic joints from the perspectives of both patients and medical practitioners. This was a single-center pilot follow-up study that included multidisciplinary medical professionals and severe hemophilia patients. The Hemophilia Early Arthropathy Detection with Ultrasound in China (HEAD-US-C) scale and Hemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS) 2.1 were utilized to assess joint conditions. Inter-rater agreement for HEAD-US-C scoring on stored US images was evaluated. Data from 13 multidisciplinary doctors and 28 patients (112 joints: 40 elbows, 24 knees, 48 ankles) were analyzed. Among 40 joints without reported bleeding during follow-up, US total scores increased in 25.0% (10/40), whereas HJHS scores increased in 12.5% (5/40). Among the 78 joints with unchanged HJHS scores, US detected increased structural scores in 21.8% (17/78) of joints. Conversely, among the 66 joints with unchanged US scores, only 9.1% (6/66) exhibited HJHS score changes >0. At the joint level, HEAD-US-C scores were positively correlated with HJHS scores (repeated measures correlation coefficient = 0.757, 95% CI 0.648-0.835, P < .001). US was perceived as useful by 69.2% of doctors (38.5% very useful, 30.8% somewhat useful), and US-based visual explanations were perceived as useful by all patients. The overall linear weighted kappa for patient-level aggregated HEAD-US-C scores assigned by the 2 sonographers was 0.903 (95% CI 0.871-0.935). US assessment using the HEAD-US-C scale appeared feasible and was well accepted by doctors and patients. In this pilot study, US identified increased structural scores in some joints without corresponding HJHS changes, suggesting that it may provide complementary structural information to clinical joint assessment. The findings also showed a positive association between HEAD-US-C scores and HJHS scores and high inter-rater agreement for HEAD-US-C scoring on stored US images. However, this study was not designed to demonstrate superiority over HJHS, diagnostic performance, improved medication adherence, or complete reliability of the HEAD-US-C scoring system.
Related
- CO026 | LIVER FIBROSIS, STEATOSIS, AND SUBCLINICAL ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN PATIENTS WITH HEMOPHILIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
- Long-term donor and graft safety despite subclinical mitochondrial abnormalities: mechanistic insights from a 22-year follow-up of a carrier-to-MELAS kidney transplant.
- PO078 | CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS AND SUBCLINICAL ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN HEMOPHILIA A AND B PATIENTS: A MULTICENTER COHORT STUDY
- Diagnostic triage for ultrasound-detected subclinical insulin injection–related lipohypertrophy in older adults with diabetes: development and internal validation
- Association between patellar tendon-related pain and morphological abnormalities of the patellar tendon visualized using ultrasound imaging in middle school athletes
BibTeX
@article{ye2026feasibility,
title = {{Feasibility and perceptions among hemophilia patients and doctors towards ultrasound for the assessment of subclinical abnormalities in hemophilic joints.}},
author = {Ming Ye and Hong Zhou and Yuxin Zhao and Rong Chen and Hua Gao and Shen Gao and Lin Yang and Yaxi Li and Xin Zeng and Changyu Chen and Yang Zhou},
journal = {Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1097/md.0000000000051155},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42888591},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Feasibility and perceptions among hemophilia patients and doctors towards ultrasound for the assessment of subclinical abnormalities in hemophilic joints.
AU - Ming Ye
AU - Hong Zhou
AU - Yuxin Zhao
AU - Rong Chen
AU - Hua Gao
AU - Shen Gao
AU - Lin Yang
AU - Yaxi Li
AU - Xin Zeng
AU - Changyu Chen
AU - Yang Zhou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Medicine
DO - 10.1097/md.0000000000051155
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42888591
AB - This study explores the feasibility and perceptions of using ultrasound (US) for identifying subclinical abnormalities in hemophilic joints from the perspectives of both patients and medical practitioners. This was a single-center pilot follow-up study that included multidisciplinary medical professionals and severe hemophilia patients. The Hemophilia Early Arthropathy Detection with Ultrasound in China (HEAD-US-C) scale and Hemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS) 2.1 were utilized to assess joint conditions. Inter-rater agreement for HEAD-US-C scoring on stored US images was evaluated. Data from 13 multidisciplinary doctors and 28 patients (112 joints: 40 elbows, 24 knees, 48 ankles) were analyzed. Among 40 joints without reported bleeding during follow-up, US total scores increased in 25.0% (10/40), whereas HJHS scores increased in 12.5% (5/40). Among the 78 joints with unchanged HJHS scores, US detected increased structural scores in 21.8% (17/78) of joints. Conversely, among the 66 joints with unchanged US scores, only 9.1% (6/66) exhibited HJHS score changes >0. At the joint level, HEAD-US-C scores were positively correlated with HJHS scores (repeated measures correlation coefficient = 0.757, 95% CI 0.648-0.835, P < .001). US was perceived as useful by 69.2% of doctors (38.5% very useful, 30.8% somewhat useful), and US-based visual explanations were perceived as useful by all patients. The overall linear weighted kappa for patient-level aggregated HEAD-US-C scores assigned by the 2 sonographers was 0.903 (95% CI 0.871-0.935). US assessment using the HEAD-US-C scale appeared feasible and was well accepted by doctors and patients. In this pilot study, US identified increased structural scores in some joints without corresponding HJHS changes, suggesting that it may provide complementary structural information to clinical joint assessment. The findings also showed a positive association between HEAD-US-C scores and HJHS scores and high inter-rater agreement for HEAD-US-C scoring on stored US images. However, this study was not designed to demonstrate superiority over HJHS, diagnostic performance, improved medication adherence, or complete reliability of the HEAD-US-C scoring system.
SN - 0304-5412
SN - 1536-5964
ER -