As a radiologist I am a bit surprised with that final conclusion :"It would not make sense for all long-term studies to measure damage to joints on imaging. " since CPPD disease may lead to serious complications, e.g. joints instability (wrist), protrusio acetabuli, cervical spine subluxation, dens fracture, nerves compression- complications requiring constant survailance, not rarely surgical treatment.
Thanks for your comment. ‘Joint damage on imaging tests’ is a circumstances dependent core domain under the proposed framework. This means that this domain was recognised as very important, but may not be appropriate in all CPPD studies. In particular, in trials in which structure modification is unlikely to occur, this isn’t considered a core domain. Examples of such studies might be a trial of regular paracetamol vs placebo, or a trial of occupational therapy plus patient education vs patient education alone. The core domains listed in the central part of the onion are those that should be measured in every study.
