Improvement in wrist pain with ultrasound-guided glucocorticoid injections: a meta-analysis of individual patient data.

OBJECTIVES: This meta-analysis compares change in wrist pain following ultrasound-guided (US-guided) intra-articular glucocorticoid injections with change in pain after palpation-guided injections in persons with inflammatory arthritis or osteoarthritis.

METHODS: Data sources included MEDLINE, Cochrane, BIOSIS, CINAHL, ACR/AHRP abstracts, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Studies that assessed change in wrist pain with direct comparison of US-guided and palpation-guided injections were included in the meta-analysis. Subject-level data was sought from authors of all relevant studies. Primary outcome was mean change in wrist pain from baseline to 1-6 week follow-up by visual analog scale (VAS). Mean difference in VAS was calculated for comparative studies. Secondary outcome was proportion attaining Minimal Clinically Important Improvement (MCII), defined as VAS reduction ≥ 20%. Odds ratios (ORs) of MCII were calculated for comparative studies. Mean differences in VAS and ORs for MCII for comparative studies were combined using fixed and random effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS: Ten studies were eligible, and adequate data was available from 4 studies with direct comparison of US-guided and palpation-guided treatment arms. The difference in mean VAS reduction (US-guided minus palpation-guided) ranged from-0.2 to 1.3, with a combined estimate of 1.0 (95% CI 0.3, 1.7). OR for MCII in comparative studies ranged from 1.0 to 12.4, with a combined OR of 3.2 (95% CI 1.2, 8.5) in favor of ultrasound.

CONCLUSIONS: US-guided glucocorticoid injections to the wrist result in greater reductions in pain, and greater likelihood of attaining MCII than palpation-guided injections at 1-6 weeks follow-up.