Performing bilateral ultrasounds of both the metatarsophalangeal and the metacarpophalangeal joints while using magnetic resonance imaging of the individuals dominant hand showed that these methods were superior to using an X-ray when it comes to detecting erosive diseases. The detection of erosive diseases was found easier in patients who featured moderate or mild rheumatoid arthritis, according to the results of a scientific study.
In Germany, researchers had examined twenty-six different patients (average age, 48 years; women were 53.8% of study patients) who currently have moderate or mild rheumatoid arthritis. (Rheumatoid arthritis has a mean disease activity score of 28, RA features a mean disease duration of 3:9, roughly 19 months). A physician examined the patients in this scientific study clinically, through a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and through ultrasound at periods that were at 6 months and 12 months. At the baseline of the study and after 12 months passed, two different X-rays of the dominant hands were taken and two X-Rays of the forefeet were processed.
Both the metatarsophalangeal, 1-5 joints, and the metacarpophalangeal, 1-5 joints, were evaluated by the magnetic resonance imaging of all 12 forefeet and 14 hands. The joints that had the imaging performed on them went along with the second and fifth metacarpophalangeal and the fifth metatarsophalangeal joints; these were also examined with the ultrasound machine.
Out of the 78 examinations that took place, a form of erosive disease was detected with various methods. The MRI exams found 67 cases of erosive disease and the ultrasound machine picked up 56 cases of erosive disease. On the other hand, there were 52 X-ray examinations that took place and a mere 8 were detected.
Both the MRI and the ultrasound machine had detected synovitis in 64 and 66 examinations that had taken place, respectively. During the ultrasound examinations, 38 of them had displayed Doppler signals of Synovial. During the 37 examinations that took place with the MRI it showed the Edema bone marrow was present. The ultrasound machine detected thirty different cases of tenosynovitis, which is greater than the 15 cases that were found by an MRI machine.
The MRI and the ultrasound machine are diagnostic tools used for erosive diseases that have become invaluable. These tools are essential when it comes to early diagnosis of mild and moderate RA. These machines are often used when it is clinically hard to diagnose tenosynovitis or arthritis. If a test has come back negative, these machines will help to find if any erosion has occurred.
The MRI machine has shown a higher percentage in sensitivity when it comes to finding erosions than the ultrasound machine. When it comes to diagnosing tenosynovitis and synovitis both these machines are almost equally efficient.