Table 3 Clinical and synovial immunohistological data of 11 rebiopsied patients*.
| Patient number | Biopsy | Treatment | Knee synovitis | DAS28 | Grade 3 follicles (%) | PNAd+ HEV | CXCL13 | CCL21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Right | MTX | Yes | 6.0 | 38 | + | + | + |
| Left | MTX | Yes | 5.9 | 40 | + | + | + | |
| 2 | Right | NSAID | Yes | 3.3 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Left | NSAID | Yes | 3.4 | 0 | – | – | – | |
| 3 | Right | NSAID | Yes | 4.4 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Left | NSAID | Yes | 3.4 | 0 | – | – | + | |
| 4 | First | MTX | Yes | 6.5 | 0 | – | – | – |
| Second | MTX+ETN | No | 3.1 | 0 | – | – | – | |
| 5 | First | MTX | Yes | 4.2 | 40 | + | + | + |
| Second | MTX+ETN | Yes | 3.1 | 62 | + | + | + | |
| 6 | First | MTX | Yes | 5.7 | 23 | + | + | + |
| Second | MTX+ETN | Yes | 4.4 | 63 | + | + | + | |
| 7 | First | MTX | Yes | 4.5 | 13 | + | + | + |
| Second | MTX+ETN | Yes | 4.3 | 49 | + | + | + | |
| 8 | First | NSAID | Yes | 3.5 | 25 | + | + | + |
| Second | IFX | Yes | 3.3 | 40 | + | + | + | |
| 9 | First | MTX | Yes | 6.0 | 38 | + | + | + |
| Second | MTX+ETN | No | 1.6 | 0 | – | – | – | |
| 10 | First | MTX | Yes | 4.7 | 57 | + | + | + |
| Second | MTX+ETN | No | 1.5 | 0 | – | – | – | |
| 11 | First | NSAID | Yes | 4.7 | 34 | + | + | + |
| Second | IFX | No | 0.7 | 0 | – | – | – |
DAS, Disease Activity Score; ETN, etanercept; HEV, high endothelial venules; IFX, infliximab; MTX, methotrexate; NSAID, non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug; PNAd, peripheral lymph node addressin.
*Patients 1–3 were rebiopsied at the contralateral knee with active synovitis after a mean (SD) of 25 (18) months from the first contralateral biopsy; they were receiving stable treatment. Patients 4–11 were rebiopsied at the same knee after 3 months of anti‐TNFα treatment.