Prevalence of ultrasound synovial inflammatory findings in healthy subjects.

This study describes for the first time, in a large cohort of healthy subjects, the prevalence and location of US signs of joint inflammation and of structural damage in small joints of hands and feet. US abnormalities were quite common, and mostly located in the feet. Further studies are needed to define which US components may allow to discriminate between pathological and physiological findings in the joints commonly affected by inflammatory arthritis conditions.