Rheumatology Screening Service
We are delighted to be able to offer this service in the private sector which both Peter
and Andrew have been successfully running over a number of years now in the local
NHS Rheumatology department.
Many patients describe pains and symptoms which occur in many joints and
sometimes these can move around. Rheumatological joint disease is often found in
the small joints of the wrist and hand or the feet and ankles and we provide a
comprehensive screening assessment of multiple joints and soft tissues to establish
whether or not there are any signs of inflammatory joint disease.
There are many types of inflammatory joint disease but the most common ones
include Rheumatoid arthritis; Psoriatic arthritis; and Gout. Ultrasound is a great tool to
be able to look at the joints themselves and the lining of the joints to understand if
there are any features of active inflammation, this is often used to signpost patients
either towards rheumatological treatments or towards local pain services. Ultrasound
has been shown to pick up signs of inflammatory joint disease much earlier than x-
ray.
This service is ideal for patients who have more widespread pain (particularly in
hands or feet) or patients who are receiving treatment for rheumatological disease
but whose symptoms are perhaps not well controlled. Identifying whether the
medication is working can help to make a decision whether existing medications may need
changing.
We provide a full report detailing all joints examined and the findings and we will
provide this to your GP, yourself and your rheumatologist as appropriate.
If you think this is a service that you would like to explore then don’t hesitate to
contact us via our website contact page or on 02392 593107.
