We examined the wrist by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 22 patients(3 males and 19 females) with rheumatoid arthritis. Coronal wrist section in T1-weighted spinecho sequences showed destruction and synovial hypertrophy as grey masses. T2-weighted spin-echo MRI showed tissue with high liquid content and inflamed synovial membrane as a bright signal.
MRI was useful in diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) lesions like synovial infiltration, local inflammation and exudation. Both T1 and T2 weighted sequences were necessary for evaluating RA lesions.
