Detecting Bone Erosions in Rheumatoid Arthritis Using Imaging Techniques
Author Information
Author(s): Døhn Uffe Møller, Ejbjerg Bo J, Hasselquist Maria, Narvestad Eva, Møller Jakob, Thomsen Henrik S, Østergaard Mikkel
Primary Institution: Copenhagen University Hospital
Hypothesis
To determine the performance of MRI and radiography for detecting bone erosions in rheumatoid arthritis wrist bones compared to CT.
Conclusion
MRI showed moderate sensitivity and good specificity for detecting erosions in rheumatoid arthritis, while radiography had very low sensitivity.
Supporting Evidence
- MRI had a sensitivity of 61% and specificity of 93% for detecting erosions.
- Radiography had a sensitivity of only 24% and specificity of 99%.
- The correlation between erosion volumes and scores was very high for both CT and MRI.
Takeaway
Doctors used different imaging methods to see if they could find damage in the wrist bones of people with arthritis. MRI was better at finding problems than regular X-rays.
Methodology
Seventeen patients with rheumatoid arthritis and four healthy controls underwent CT, MRI, and radiography of one wrist on the same day.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in image evaluation due to the subjective nature of scoring.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and focused only on wrist joints.
Participant Demographics
17 rheumatoid arthritis patients (14 female, 3 male) and 4 healthy controls (3 female, 1 male), median age 51 years for patients and 36 years for controls.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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