Comparison between 3-point Dixon- and CHESS-based OMERACT-recommended MRI protocols in hands of patients with suspicion of early rheumatoid arthritis

Highlights: • Three-point Dixon MRI sequences yield more effective fat suppression than CHESS sequences in hands of patients with suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis. • Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted Dixon water-only images yield higher contrast-to-noise ratios than corresponding CHESS images in hands of patients with suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis. • Evaluation of disease activity with OMERACT recommended Dixon-based MRI protocols is more reproducible than evaluation with CHESS-based MRI protocols. To compare fat suppression effectiveness, image quality and disease activity scores between MRI protocols based on the Dixon method and the Chemical Shift Selective (CHESS) technique in hands of patients with suspicion of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).