부산대학교 도서관

Thirty-five patients (23 males) with asymptomatic hyperuricemia for at least two years underwent two-dimensioal ultrasonography of knees and ankles. Urate deposits (tophi) in tendons, synovium, and other soft tissues were detected in 12 patients (34%). Increased vascularity (inflammation) was evident in 8 of these patients (23%). Tophi were more frequently found in knees than in ankles and were especially prevalent in the distal patellar tendon. The presence of tophi was unrelated to the known duration of hyperuricemia (mean, 5 years). Ultrasonography allows detection of tophi and inflammation in a third and in a fourth, respectively, of asymptomatic hyperuricemic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]