Role of Lung Ultrasound in Screening for Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

August 22, 2025 updated by: Waleed Gamal Elddin Khaleel, Assiut University
The aim of this observational cross-sectional study is to assess accuracy of Lung Ultrasound to early diagnose ILD among Rheumatoid arthritis patients. Rheumatoid arthritis patients with suggestive history of chest troubles will be evaluated using chest ultrasound and high resolution CT chest to evaluate ability of chest ultrasound to early diagnose ILD among rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common complication of connective tissue disease (CTD) and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Thus, early diagnosis and treatment may improve the prognosis of patients with ILD.

High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the gold standard for ILD diagnosis. It can detect the location and type of lesions through its high resolution. Unfortunately, it is hampered by high cost and potential risks associated with radiation exposure, especially for pregnant women.

Accordingly, finding a low-cost, non-invasive, and non-ionizing diagnostic method is necessary for ILD. Lung ultrasound (LUS) has all of these advantages and is an accessible bedside procedure. As a result, it is easily accepted by patients. Over the last 20 years, LUS has mainly been applied in CTD-ILD diagnosis, where it has shown high sensitivity and specificity. The assessment of ILD by LUS is determined by the number of B-lines, which appear as a comet tail signal and originate from the pleural line without fading to the edge of the screen.

The total number of B-lines was found to correlate well with the HRCT score. To assess the number of B-lines, previous studies used various scoring systems by designing different intercostal spaces (LIS), such as 72 LIS, 50 LIS, and 14 LIS. This study aims to assess Lung ultrasound as a screening tool for early interstitial lung disease in connective tissue disease patients.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

60

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Asyut, Egypt, 711111
        • Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Confirmed diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and suspicion of interstitial lung disease on history and/ or clinical examination, age > 18 years

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Confirmed diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and suspicion of interstitial lung disease on history and/ or clinical examination, age > 18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients who refuse to participate in the study,
  • Patients with a history of pulmonary neoplasia or
  • Patients with causes of interstitial fluid, such as, heart failure, diastolic dysfunction, asthma or pulmonary edema.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of rheumatoid arthritis patients that can be diagnosed early with Interstitial lung disease.
Time Frame: 1 month
early diagnosis of Interstitial lung disease among rheumatoid arthritis patients using chest ultrasound versus high resolution computed tomography
1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Assiut University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Waleed MD Gamal Elddin Khaleel, Ass. Prof., Assiut University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 29, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

August 1, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

August 28, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 22, 2025

Last Verified

August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • WGE72024

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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