The value of MRI in the early diagnosis of hand and wrist rheumatoid arthritis / 中华放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the role of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the diagnosis of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods Seventy-six patients with polyarthralgia (fifty-four were finally diagnosed as RA,and twenty-two were non-RA) were selected to undergo MR scanning of bilateral hands and wrists.The signs including synovial enhancement or thickening,bone erosion,bone marrow edema,tendonitis,and effusion were observed on MR imaging.The value of various MR manifestations was evaluated.Bayes discriminant analysis was used to investigate the MR imaging criterion for the diagnosis of RA.Results MR imaging first diagnosed twelve of the fifty-four RA patients.When using bilateral synovial enhancement or thickening as criterion,the sensitivity and specificity were 85.19% and 86.36%,respectively.Conclusion MR imaging is one of the reliable diagnostic indexes of RA and it is extremely useful in early diagnosis.The diagnosis of early RA was highly suggested when bilateral synovial enhancement presented.When both the bilateral synovial enhancement or thickening and at least one of bone erosion/bone marrow edema/tendonitis/effusion presented,or when both the unilateral synovial enhancement or thickening and at least two of them presented at the same time,the diagnosis of RA should be considered.