THE DETECTION FREQUENCY AND THE IMPORTANCEOF VERIFYING THE MRI SYMPTOMS OF  JOINT DAMAGE IN EARLY RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Ryzhyk V.N.¹, Vershynina D.V.¹, Mikhalchenko E.M.², Ashykhmin A.V.², Dudij P.F.¹, Cherepinska O.P.³, Gretchin O.V.⁴

• ¹Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University
• ²Feofaniya Clinical Hospital, Kyiv
• ³Клінічна лікарня «Феофанія» ДУС, Київ
• ⁴Івано-Франківська обласна клінічна лікарня

Summary. Summary. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to study the hand and wrist in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the results were compared with early and established disease. 32 patients fulfilling the new American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA were enrolled in the study. All of the patients showed bone edema and synovitis. Erosion was identified in 17 patients of the 32. Identification of erosion depended on the activity of the disease. The dependence of the diagnosis of bone edema, synovitis and erosions of seropositivity for antibodies of citrullined peptides was conducted. Edema, erosions, and synovitis are findings of early RA. Identification of these lesions by MRI in the early stages of the process can play an important role in the further treatment of these patients and determining the treatment strategy.