Abstract #3626

Watanabe Y, Nagayama M, Kiyono T, Nakada K, Okumura A, Amoh Y, Oda K, Ishimori T, Komaki S, Morimoto N, Kumashiro M, Mitsui H, Sugioka T, Ito O, Ohtsuki K, Dodo Y

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic disease affecting approximately 0.5-1.0% of the adult population. It is difficult to accurately diagnose the early RA because of a broad spectrum of disease manifestation. Microscopic MR imaging can give detailed information about synovial thickening of metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints of hand fingers. The sensitivity and specificity of MR findings for RA diagnosis included 100% and 23% for diffuse synovial thickening, 37% and 77% for irregular synovial thickening, 30% and 92.3% for irregular nodular synovial thickening with bone erosion as well, respectively. Microscopic MR imaging will allow for early diagnosis of RA.