© 2002 by Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
LEADER
Rheumatoid arthritis
Imaging of the hand and wrist in RA
1 Department of Radiology, University of California San Francisco, CA, USA
2 Department of Rheumatology, University of California San Francisco, CA, USA
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr B Taouli, University of California San Francisco, Department of Radiology, 505 Parnassus Avenue, Box 0628, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA;
bachir.taouli@radiology.ucsf.edu
Interrelationships and comparisons of imaging with clinical disease activity
Keywords: magnetic resonance imaging; ultrasonography; x rays; scintigraphy; arthritis; finger joints
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
In the past decade, elucidation of pathophysiological pathways relevant in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has continued, leading to continuing advances in drug treatment. At the same time, several clinical trials have shown the efficacy of early and aggressive treatment of patients with active disease. Early intervention strategies may reduce functional deterioration and improve long term outcome. Therefore, treatment strategies need to be determined before irreversible damage and functional deterioration occur.
Imaging techniques are useful not only for studying the natural history of the disease but also for assessing the response to disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, and—potentially—for selecting those patients who will benefit most from early aggressive treatment. Conventional or digitised radiography of the hand and wrist is the traditional method used to diagnose, determine the stage, and monitor patients with RA, and to assess treatment efficacy in individual patients. Radiography, using several scoring systems, is also pivotal for the
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