Rheumatoid arthritis in the knee joint

This paper evaluates the potential value of MR imaging in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Thirty patients with RA were examined with MR imaging before synoverctomy. Nonenhanced T2-Weighted (T1W) and T2W spin-echo (SE) images were obtained in all 30 cases, T2W gradient echo (GRE) images in 13 cases, and gadolinium-enhanced T1W images in six cases. These images were compared with each other to evaluate the detectability of articular disorders. The MR findings of synovial hypertrophy were compared with the pathologic findings of resected synovium. Articular effusion could be identified on all images, but it was impossible to distinguish between synovial hypertrophy and articular effusion on nonenhanced T1W and GRE images