Summary
The knees of fifty-two patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 22 patients with seronegative spondylarthopathies (SA) as well as of 20 healthy volunteers were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Osseous erosions (RA 52%-SA 18%; P<0.005), Baker cysts (RA 56%-SA 12%; P<0.005), pannus formation (RA 67%-SA 36%; P<0.05), and cartilage thinning with narrowing of the joint space (RA 46%-SA 18%; P<0.05) proved to be more frequent MRI findings in patients with RA. Additionally, in patients with RA erosions were more extensive. Follow-up MRI examinations of 19 patients revealed an improvment in MRI changes in SA within an average interval of 6 months. No substantial changes were noted in 7 of 13 RA patients. Quantitative and qualitative MRI findings of knee arthritis differ in patients with RA and SA and this was statistically significant. However, as there is considerable overlap of the MRI and radiographic changes in both groups the discriminating diagnostic value in the individual case was limited.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beltran J, Caudill JL, Hermann LA, Kantor SM, Hudson PN, Noto AM, Baran AS (1987) Rheumathoid arthritis: MR imaging manifestations. Radiology 165:153–157
Senac MO Jr, Deutsch D, Bernstein BH, Stanley P, Crues JV III, Stoller DW, Mink J (1988) MR imaging in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. AJR 150:873–878
König H, Sieper J, Wolf K-J (1990) Rheumatoid arthritis: evaluation of hypervascular and fibrous pannus with dynamic MR-imaging enhanced with Gd-DTPA. Radiology 176:473–477
Yulish BS, Liebermann LM, Newman AJ, Bryan PJ, Mulopulos GP, Modic MT (1987) Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: assessment with MR imaging. Radiology 165:149–153
Arnett FC, Edworthy SM, Bloch A, McShane J, Fries JF, Cooper NS, Healey LA, Kaplan R, Liang MH, Luthra HS, Medsger TA Jr, Mitchell DM, Pinals RS, Schaller JG, Sharp T, Wilder L, Hunder GG (1988) The American Rheumatism Association 1987 revised criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 31:315–324
Tuomi T, Aho K, Palosuo T, Kareela K, Essen R von, Isomäki H, Leirisalo-Repo M, Sarna S (1988) Significance of rheumatoid factors in an eight-year longitudinal study on arthritis. Rheumatol Int 8:21–26
El-Khoury GY, Larson RK, Kathol MH, Berbaum K, Furst DE (1988) Seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis: radiographic differences. Radiology 168:517–520
Burns TM, Calin A (1983) The hand radiograph as a diagnostic discriminant between seropositive and seronegative “rheumatoid arthritis”: a controlled study. Ann Rheum Dis 42:605–612
Schwartz BD, Leuhrmann LK, Rodey GE et al (1979) Public antigen determinant on a family of HLA-B27 molecules: basis for cross-reactivity and a possible link with disease predisposition. J Clin Invest 64:938–943
Ebringer A, Shipley M (eds) (1983) Pathogenesis of HLA B27-associated diseases. Br J Rheumatol [Suppl 2]:1
Edeiken J, Dalinka M, Karasick D (1990) Arthritides. In: Edeiken's roentgen diagnosis of bone. Williams and Wilkins Baltimore Hong Kong London Sydney, pp 681–742
Bland JH, Brown EW (1979) Seronegative and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis: a longitudinal study of newly diagnosed younger adult patients. Am J Med 66:377–384
Harris ED Jr (1990) Rheumatoid arthritis. Pathophysiology and implications for therapy. N Engl J Med 322:1277–1289
Sharp JT (1989) Radiologic assessment as an outcome measure in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 32:221–229
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Dedicated to Professor Dr. W. Wenz on his 65th birthday
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mundinger, A., Ioannidou, M., Meske, S. et al. MRI of knee arthritis in rheumatoid arthritis and spondylarthropathies. Rheumatol Int 11, 183–186 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332559
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332559