title: Tomosynthesis can facilitate accurate measurement of joint space width under the condition of the oblique incidence of X-rays in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Accurate evaluation of joint space width (JSW) is important in the assessment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In clinical radiography of bilateral hands, the oblique incidence of X-rays is unavoidable, which may cause perceptional or measurement error of JSW. The objective of this study was to examine whether tomosynthesis, a recently developed modality, can facilitate a more accurate evaluation of JSW than radiography under the condition of oblique incidence of X-rays.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated quantitative errors derived from the oblique incidence of X-rays by imaging phantoms simulating various finger joint spaces using radiographs and tomosynthesis images. We then compared the qualitative results of the modified total Sharp score of a total of 320 joints from 20 patients with RA between these modalities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A quantitative error was prominent when the location of the phantom was shifted along the JSW direction. Modified total Sharp scores of tomosynthesis images were significantly higher than those of radiography, that is to say JSW was regarded as narrower in tomosynthesis than in radiography when finger joints were located where the oblique incidence of X-rays is expected in the JSW direction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tomosynthesis can facilitate accurate evaluation of JSW in finger joints of patients with RA, even with oblique incidence of X-rays.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accurate evaluation of JSW is necessary for the management of patients with RA. Through phantom and clinical studies, we demonstrate that tomosynthesis may achieve more accurate evaluation of JSW.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Radiology, NTT Sapporo Medical Center, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Radiology, Department of Medical Technology, Sunagawa City Medical Center, Sunagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Rina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kashihara
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Radiology, NTT Sapporo Medical Center, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobutoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yasojima
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Rheumatology, NTT Sapporo Medical Center, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.affiliation: 5 Division of Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Nephrology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: 6 Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Nihon University, Koriyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.affiliation: 7 Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.affiliation: 8 Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Rheumatology, NTT Sapporo Medical Center, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.affiliation: 7 Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tamotsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamishima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001175:Arthrography; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056888:Patient Positioning / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*