Anterior Chest Wall Non-traumatic Arthropathies: A Crucial but Often Overlooked Site

Curr Rheumatol Rev. 2024;20(1):88-96. doi: 10.2174/1573397119666230905122525.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the distribution of Anterior Chest Wall (ACW) arthropathies in a tertiary care center and identify clinical, biological and imaging findings to differentiate osteoarthritis (OA) from non-osteoarthritis (N-OA) etiologies.

Methods: Search from medical records from January 2009 to April 2022, including patients with manubriosternal and/or sternoclavicular and/or sternocostal joint changes confirmed by ultrasonography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The final study group was divided into OA and N-OA subgroups.

Results: A total of 108 patients (34 males and 74 females, mean age: 47.3 ± 13 years) were included. Twenty patients had findings of OA, while 88 were diagnosed with N-OA pathologies. SpA was the most common etiology in the N-OA group (n = 75). The other N-OA etiologies were less common: rheumatoid arthritis (n = 4), Synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome (n = 3), infectious arthritis (n = 3) and microcrystalline arthropathies (n = 3). Regarding the distinctive features, ACW pain was the inaugural manifestation in 50% of patients in OA group and 18.2% of patients in N-OA group (p = 0.003); high inflammatory biomarkers were more common in N-OA group (p = 0.033). Imaging findings significantly associated with OA included subchondral bone cysts (p < 0.001) and intra-articular vacuum phenomenon (p < 0.001), while the presence of erosions was significantly associated with N-OA arthropathies (p = 0.019). OA was independently predicted by the presence of subchondral bone cysts (p = 0.026).

Conclusion: ACW pain is a common but often underestimated complaint. Knowledge of the different non-traumatic pathologies and differentiation between OA and N-OA etiologies is fundamental for appropriate therapeutic management.

Keywords: Anterior chest wall; manubriosternal joint; osteoarthritis.; rheumatic diseases; sternoclavicular joint; sternocostal joint.

MeSH terms

  • Acquired Hyperostosis Syndrome* / diagnosis
  • Acquired Hyperostosis Syndrome* / pathology
  • Adult
  • Bone Cysts*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Joint Diseases* / diagnostic imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Osteoarthritis* / diagnostic imaging
  • Osteoarthritis* / epidemiology
  • Pain
  • Thoracic Wall* / diagnostic imaging
  • Thoracic Wall* / pathology