EULAR/EFORT recommendations for the diagnosis and initial management of patients with acute or recent onset swelling of the knee
- R B M Landewé1,
- K P Günther2,
- C Lukas3,
- J Braun4,
- B Combe5,
- P G Conaghan6,
- K Dreinhöfer7,
- D Fritschy8,
- J Getty9,
- H J L van der Heide10,
- T K Kvien11,
- K Machold12,
- C Mihai13,
- M Mosconi14,
- R Nelissen15,
- E Pascual16,
- K Pavelka17,
- M Pileckyte18,
- W Puhl19,
- L Punzi20,
- W Rüther21,
- M San-Julian22,
- C Tudisco23,
- R Westhovens24,
- E Witso25,
- D M F M van der Heijde26
- 1Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- 2Universitäts-Klinikum Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
- 3Hospital Lapeyronie, Montpellier, France
- 4Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet, Herne, Germany
- 5Hospital Lapeyronie, Montpellier, France
- 6Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, UK
- 7Universität Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- 8Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
- 9British Orthopaedic Association, London, UK
- 10Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- 11Diakonhjemmet Sykehus, Oslo, Norway
- 12Vienna Medical University, Vienna, Austria
- 13Cantacuzino Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
- 14IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo and University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- 15Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- 16Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- 17Institute of Rheumatology and Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- 18Hospital of Kaunas University of Medicine, Kaunas, Lithuania
- 19Klinik Oberstdorf, Oberstdorf, Germany
- 20University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- 21Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- 22University Clinic of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- 23University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- 24University Hospitals KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- 25Norwegian Orthopaedic Association, Trondheim, Norway
- 26Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Correspondence to R B M Landewé, Maastricht University Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine/Rheumatology, PO Box 5800, 6202AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands; r.landewe{at}mumc.nl
- Accepted 21 December 2008
- Published Online First 15 January 2009
Abstract
Objectives: The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT) have recognised the importance of variation in diagnostic and therapeutic performance across disciplines, have found consensus in starting task forces aiming at achieving diagnostic and therapeutic uniformity, and have identified medical conditions with which representatives of both organisations will frequently be confronted in common clinical practice. The aim of the present work was to establish recommendations for the diagnosis and initial management of patients presenting with acute or recent onset swelling of the knee.
Methods: The EULAR standard operating procedures for the elaboration and implementation of evidence-based recommendations were followed.
Results: In all, 11 rheumatologists from 11 countries and 12 orthopaedic surgeons from 7 countries met twice under the leadership of 2 conveners, a clinical epidemiologist and a research fellow. After carefully defining the content and procedures of the task force, research questions were developed, a comprehensive literature search was performed and the results were presented to the entire committee. Subsequently, a set of 10 recommendations was formulated based on evidence from the literature if available, and after discussion and consensus building.
Conclusions: This is the first combined interdisciplinary project of rheumatologists and orthopaedic surgeons, successfully aiming at achieving consensus in the diagnosis and initial management of patients presenting with acute or recent onset swelling of the knee.
Footnotes
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For numbered affiliations see end of article
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Competing interests TKK: Hans Bijlsma was the handling editor for this article.
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Provenance and Peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
