Released 04 December 2008

MRI 'assesses bone erosion effectively'

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a good tool to assess bone erosion in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), according to a new study published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research.

Scientists from the G Gaslini Institute and the University of Genoa in Italy compared MRI, conventional radiography and ultrasonography in identifying bone erosion in 26 JIA patients.

Affected wrists were examined using the three technologies, which were accompanied by biochemical analysis and clinical assessment.

Results revealed that MRI showed erosions in 95.1 per cent of cases, compared to 50 per cent detected by conventional radiography and ultrasonography.

The researchers concluded: "MRI seems to be a powerful tool to detect early structural damage in JIA. The proposed MRI scale for bone erosions appears promising in terms of reliability and construct validity."

They added: "The pathophysiologic meaning and the prognostic value of bone erosions revealed only by MRI remain to be established in longitudinal studies."

A spokesman for the Arthritis Research Campaign said that new imaging techniques such as MRI and ultrasound were leading to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of various types of arthritis.

ADNFCR-1096-ID-18912700-ADNFCR

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