You are here

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Volume 64, Issue 9
  • Further evidence that a cartilage-pannus junction synovitis predilection is not a specific feature of rheumatoid arthritis

Article Text

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
Concise report
Further evidence that a cartilage-pannus junction synovitis predilection is not a specific feature of rheumatoid arthritis
  1. L A Rhodes1,
  2. P G Conaghan2,
  3. A Radjenovic1,
  4. A J Grainger3,
  5. P Emery2,
  6. D McGonagle2,4
  1. 1Academic Unit of Medical Physics, University of Leeds, Wellcome Wing, Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX, UK
  2. 2Academic Unit of Musculoskeletal Disease, Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX, UK
  3. 3Department of Radiology, Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX, UK
  4. 4Calderdale Royal Hospital, Salterhebble, Halifax HX3 0PW, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
    Professor D McGonagle
    d.g.mcgonagleleeds.ac.uk

Abstract

Background: Qualitative differences in synovitis between the cartilage-pannus junction (CPJ) region and the adjoining suprapatellar pouch (SPP) have been reported in rheumatoid arthritis and the spondyloarthropathies.

Objective: To determine if the distribution of synovitis is the same in osteoarthritis (OA) using sensitive measures of inflammation derived from dynamic, contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DEMRI).

Methods: 20 subjects with established OA of the knee were recruited. Conventional MR images together with the DEMRI measurements were obtained. Areas of synovitis at the CPJ region and at a distant site in the SPP were calculated; differences in CPJ and SPP synovitis were determined using DEMRI parameters: the initial rate of contrast enhancement (IRE) and maximal enhancement (ME).

Results: The area of synovitis was significantly greater adjacent to the CPJ than in the SPP. IRE and ME measures were greater at the CPJ than the SPP.

Conclusions: The magnitude of synovitis at the CPJ is not disease-specific and applies across the spectrum of degenerative disease as well as inflammatory diseases.

  • CPJ, cartilage-pannus junction
  • DEMRI, dynamic, contrast enhanced MRI
  • Gd-DTPA, gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid
  • IRE, initial rate of contrast enhancement
  • ME, maximal enhancement
  • MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
  • OA, osteoarthritis
  • RA, rheumatoid arthritis
  • SpA, spondyloarthropathies
  • SPO, superior pole patella osteophyte
  • SPP, suprapatellar pouch
  • magnetic resonance imaging
  • cartilage-pannus junction
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • osteoarthritis

https://doi.org/10.1136/ard.2004.033688

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    View Full Text

    Footnotes

    • We, the authors, are not aware of any competing interests.