title: MRI pattern of arthritis in systemic lupus erythematosus: a comparative study with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study we aimed to describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pattern of the distribution of bone marrow edema (BME) and joint erosion in hands and wrists of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with arthritis in comparison with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy subjects (H).
  
  
  METHODS
  SLE patients with arthritis (n = 50), patients with RA (n = 22), and H (n = 48) were enrolled. Every patient underwent a non-dominant hand (2nd-5th metacarpophalangeal joints) and wrist MRI without contrast injection with a low-field extremity dedicated 0.2-Tesla instrument.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BME was observed in two SLE patients in the hand (4%) and in 15 in the wrist (13%) versus three (30%), and 14 (63%) RA patients. No BME was found in H. Erosions were observed in the hand in 24 SLE patients (48%), 15 RA patients (68%), and 9 H (18 %); in the wrist, in 41 (82%) SLE, all RA and 47 (97%) H. The cumulative erosive burden in SLE was significantly higher than in H (c = 0.002) but similar to RA patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Joint involvement of the wrist in SLE is similar to RA and is not as rare as expected, as shown by the comparison with healthy subjects. On the contrary, the involvement of the hand in SLE is significantly lower compared to RA.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, chiara.tani@for.unipi.it.
authors.forename: Tani
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chiara
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Aniello
authors.forename: D'aniello
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dario
authors.forename: Niccolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Possemato
authors.forename: Possemato
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niccolò
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delle Sedie
authors.forename: Delle Sedie
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Andrea
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caramella
authors.forename: Caramella
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davide
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bombardieri
authors.forename: Bombardieri
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stefano
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mosca
authors.forename: Mosca
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001168:Arthritis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014955:Wrist Joint / Q000473:pathology*