Quantification of rheumatoid synovitis by magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE To develop a method for quantifying acute synovial inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), utilizing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS Gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced MRI was performed in 21 patients with knee synovitis. Changes in synovial membrane signal intensity were identified and quantified by line profile analysis. Multiple synovial biopsies were obtained by a blind biopsy technique, and standard clinical and laboratory measurements of disease activity were recorded. RESULTS The rate of synovial membrane enhancement correlated with histologic features of acute inflammation (r = 0.63, P < 0.01), but not with clinical or laboratory assessments. CONCLUSION Dynamic MRI is a valuable technique for assessing acute synovial inflammation in RA.

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