Skip Navigation


Rheumatology Advance Access originally published online on November 28, 2007
Rheumatology 2008 47(1):13-21; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kem250
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
47/1/13    most recent
kem250v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (13)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hodgson, R. J.
Right arrow Articles by Moots, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hodgson, R. J.
Right arrow Articles by Moots, R.
Related Collections
Right arrow Diagnostics and Imaging Procedures
Right arrow Rheumatoid Arthritis
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

REVIEWS

MRI of rheumatoid arthritis—image quantitation for the assessment of disease activity, progression and response to therapy

R. J. Hodgson1,2, P. O’Connor2 and R. Moots3

1MARIARC, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, 2Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds and 3Clinical Rheumatology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.

Correspondence to: R. Hodgson, MARIARC, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L69 3GE, UK. E-mail: RichardHodgson{at}btinternet.com


  Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows the direct visualization of many bone and soft tissue changes in rheumatoid arthritis. Synovitis volume, bone marrow oedema and bone erosions are suitable for serial measurement. The outcome measures in rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials (OMERACT) rheumatoid arthritis magnetic resonance imaging (RAMRIS) system is designed to allow straightforward, reproducible scoring of all these features. Alternatively, synovial volumes may be directly and quickly measured using semi-automated techniques. There is the potential for similar systems for measuring erosions. Dynamic contrast enhanced MRI depends on the rate of enhancement of the synovium after intravenous contrast agent. Measurements depend on the underlying physiology of the inflamed synovium, in particular the vascularity and capillary permeability which are expected to closely mirror inflammatory activity in the joint. Measurements from MRI have been shown to correlate with clinical, laboratory, imaging and histological measures of inflammation, predict erosive progression and respond rapidly to various types of treatment. They are, therefore, expected to be good measures of disease activity, progression and response to therapy.

KEY WORDS: MRI, Dynamic contrast enhanced MRI, Image analysis, Rheumatoid arthritis

Submitted 2 May 2007; revised version accepted 8 August 2007.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 The Journal of RheumatologyHome page
Y. EMAD, Y. RAGAB, A. SHAARAWY, A. ABOU-ZEID, A. SAAD, M. FAWZY, H. JOKHDAR, and J. J. RASKER
Can Magnetic Resonance Imaging Differentiate Undifferentiated Arthritis Based on Knee Imaging?
J Rheumatol, September 1, 2009; 36(9): 1963 - 1970.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Rheumatology (Oxford)Home page
T. Garrood, M. Blades, D. O. Haskard, S. Mather, and C. Pitzalis
A novel model for the pre-clinical imaging of inflamed human synovial vasculature
Rheumatology, August 1, 2009; 48(8): 926 - 931.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 The Journal of RheumatologyHome page
S. ADLER, T. LAHMER, U. HEEMANN, and F. FORGER
Combined Takayasu Arteritis and Hashimoto Thyroiditis During 3 Consecutive Pregnancies
J Rheumatol, July 1, 2009; 36(7): 1555 - 1556.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Rheumatology (Oxford)Home page
V. Agarwal, M. Kumar, J. K. Singh, R. K. S. Rathore, R. Misra, and R. K. Gupta
Diffusion tensor anisotropy magnetic resonance imaging: a new tool to assess synovial inflammation
Rheumatology, April 1, 2009; 48(4): 378 - 382.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.