Finger tendon disease in untreated early rheumatoid arthritis: A comparison of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

This is the first study to compare US and MRI for the detection of tenosynovitis in the fingers of patients with early untreated RA. Tenosynovitis was found to be common using both modalities, with MRI being more sensitive. A negative US scan does not exclude inflammation and an MRI should be considered. Further work is recommended to standardize definitions and image acquisition for both US and MRI images.