Table 3.

Research agenda.

List of proposed areas for investigation* by the OMERACT MRI in Arthritis Working Group:

  • Combined scores of inflammation (synovitis, osteitis, and tenosynovitis) and of damage (bone erosion and cartilage damage/JSN)

  • New sequences, e.g., MRI without intravenous contrast injection for assessment of synovitis, dedicated cartilage sequences, and diffusion-weighted MRI

  • Validation of RAMRIS in other joints, such as proximal interphalangeal joints (hands), first interphalangeal joints, and metatarsophalangeal joints

  • Whole-body MRI

  • Quantitative methods, including dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, automated volume quantification (e.g., RAMRIQ)

  • Simplified RAMRIS, e.g., scoring of reduced amounts of anatomical areas, e.g., fewer sites for JSN assessment, first carpometacarpal joint, etc.

  • Development of an updated tool for training and calibration.

  • ↵* Including, but not limited to, assessment of reproducibility, sensitivity to change, and discriminatory ability. OMERACT: Outcome Measures in Rheumatology; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; JSN: joint space narrowing; RAMRIS: Rheumatoid Arthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scoring system; RAMRIQ: Rheumatoid Arthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quantitative assessment system.