Whole Body Multiple Joint MRI of Patients Presenting with Inflammatory Arthritis.

Richard Hodgson¹, Andrew Grainger², Philip O'Connor², Robert Evans², Paul Emery¹, Jane Freeston¹

Early diagnosis of arthritis is important to start appropriate treatment but diagnosis may be difficult. Whole body multiple joint MRI has the potential to help diagnosis. 15 patients presenting with arthritis were studied with whole body multiple joint MRI. MRI was more sensitive than clinical examination. More sites were involved in rheumatoid arthritis than undifferentiated arthritis. MRI revealed clinically unsuspected findings which were diagnosically useful. Whole body multiple joint MRI may be useful in early arthritis.