title: High-resolution MRI of the wrist and finger joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: comparison of 1.5 Tesla and 3.0 Tesla.
abstract: The goal of this study was to compare magnetic resonance (MR) image quality at different field strengths for evaluating lesions in wrist and finger joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in order to determine whether the higher field strength provides diagnostic gain. The hand mainly affected in 17 RA patients was examined at 1.5 Tesla (T) and 3.0 T with comparable MR imaging (MRI) protocols. MR images were reviewed twice by two experienced radiologists using the Rheumatoid Arthritis MRI Scoring System (RAMRIS) of the OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials) group. Image quality was rated on a five-point scale using Friedmann's test and Kendall's W-test for statistical analysis. Image comparison revealed better image quality at higher field strength. Image quality of T1-weighted images was rated 14-22% better at 3.0 T compared with 1.5 T by both readers. Moreover, the rating for the T2-weighted-images acquired at 3.0 T was one point better in the five-point scale used. Inter-reader correlation for image quality, bone erosions/defects, edema and synovitis ranged between 0.6 and 0.9 at 3.0 T and between 0.6 and 0.8 at 1.5 T. Intra-reader correlation for these parameters was high at 0.8-1.0. MRI image quality of RA hands is superior at 3.0 T, while an acceptable image quality is achieved at 1.5 T, which improves the evaluation of extent of bone edema, synovitis and identification of small bone erosions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicin, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany. gero.wieners@medizin.uni-magdeburg.de
authors.forename: Gero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wieners
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Detert
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Streitparth
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pech
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fischbach
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burmester
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ricke
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Backhaus
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bruhn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000473:pathology*; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA