Case Study of RA Patients whose First Complaints were Foot Pain and Swelling

Abstract

We studied the clinical course of 5 patients (2 males and 3 females) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) whose first symptoms were foot or ankle pain. To assess the changes in swollen feet and ankles, we examined them by fat-suppressed, gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In each patient, the synovium or Achilles tendon sheath showed high signal intensity.
It is difficult to diagnose early stage RA in patients complaining of pain and swelling of the foot or ankle.
Fat-suppressed, gadolinium-enhanced MRI however proved useful for detecting tenosynovitis in the foot or ankle and for early diagnosis of RA.