Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI of Bone Marrow in Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Response to Treatment.

David A. King¹, Edward M. Vital¹, Jane E. Freeston¹, Philip O'Connor², Robert Evans, ^2,3, Peter Wright, ^2,3, Paul Emery¹, Richard Hodgson, ^1,3

This study uses dynamic contrast enhanced MRI to study the response of bone marrow to therapy. 30 patients with long-standing, active rheumatoid arthritis were imaged before and at 12 and 24 weeks after starting biologic treatment. 3D SPGR images of the wrist were acquired every 19 seconds and the relative early enhancement rate of bone marrow calculated from a carpal bone. There was a statistically significant decrease in the RER at both 12 and 24 weeks after starting treatment. This suggests DCE-MRI of bone marrow may be useful for assessing the response to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis.