EDITORIAL
A vital clue to deciphering bone pathology: MRI bone oedema in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis
Correspondence to:
F M McQueen, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Park Rd, Auckland, New Zealand; f.mcqueen@auckland.ac.nz
Accepted 25 September 2007
Abbreviations: BMD, bone mineral density; BML, bone-marrow lesions; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; OA, osteoarthritis; RA, rheumatoid arthritis
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Evidence is mounting that MRI bone oedema is an important finding both in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). It is associated with pain in both conditions1 2 signalling disease activity, and is also a marker of poor prognosis, predicting joint damage and radiographic progression.3 4 While the articular pathology of RA clearly differs from that of OA, the finding of bone oedema informs us about a region of critical importance to both conditions, the subchondral bone. This vital tissue, lying directly below the articular cartilage, has hitherto been inaccessible and consequently rather neglected. Using the window provided by MRI, the subchondral bone has now been shown to be far from an inert framework sitting passively beneath the joint, but rather to be intimately involved in the pathological processes producing joint inflammation and leading to destruction. This review will begin by describing the MRI characteristics of bone oedema and then explore data
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