RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Magnetic resonance imaging appearance of the hands and feet in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.
JF The Journal of Rheumatology
JO J Rheumatol
FD The Journal of Rheumatology
SP 671
OP 679
VO 30
IS 4
A1 Nathalie Boutry
A1 Anne Lardé
A1 Franck Lapègue
A1 Elizabeth Solau-Gervais
A1 René-Marc Flipo
A1 Anne Cotten
YR 2003
UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/30/4/671.abstract
AB OBJECTIVE: To describe the magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging findings of the feet in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to compare MRI appearance of the feet with that of the hands. METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients (18 women, 12 men; age range 19-64 yrs) with early RA underwent MRI of hands and feet. Axial fat suppressed gadolinium enhanced T1 weighted spin-echo and gadolinium enhanced 3-dimensional gradient-echo (FLASH) images were obtained. RESULTS: In the hands, MRI findings suggested active synovitis of the wrist and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints in 28 (93%) and 27 (90%) patients, respectively. In the feet, active synovitis was observed in 29 (97%) patients. Bone erosions were seen in the wrist joints in 24 (80%) patients. Observers found as many bony changes in the MCP as in the metatarsophalangeal joints [23 (77%) patients]. MRI detected tenosynovitis in 16 (53%) patients in the hands, and in 18 (60%) patients in the feet. Bursitis located between or beneath the metatarsal heads was a common MRI finding [19 (63%) patients]. CONCLUSION: Additional MRI of the feet may be useful when evaluation of the hands does not help identify early RA.