Key result
A newly developed compact whole-hand MRI scanner successfully visualized anatomical structures and rheumatoid arthritis lesions in a 16-minute examination, demonstrating feasibility for use in small clinics.
A newly developed compact whole-hand MRI scanner can successfully visualize anatomical structures and RA lesions, suggesting potential utility for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis in small clinics.
May enable RA imaging in small clinics; leaves open prospective validation of accuracy and outcomes.
We have developed a compact magnetic resonance (MR) imaging scanner with permanent magnet, gradient coil set, and radiofrequency (RF) coils optimized for whole-hand examination for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The system weighs about 600 kg, and installation space is 2 m(2), excluding the shield room. Hand examinations of normal volunteers and patients with RA were performed using a 3D T(1)-weighted gradient-echo (GRE) sequence and short T(I) inversion recovery 3D fast spin-echo (STIR-3DFSE) sequence, and anatomical structures and various lesions of the hand caused by RA were clearly visualized in a 16-min examination. It was concluded that the system could be used for diagnosis of RA in even a small clinic.
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Handa et al. (2007) studied Rheumatoid arthritis (n=44). Compact whole-hand MRI scanner was evaluated on Visualization of anatomical structures and lesions caused by rheumatoid arthritis. A newly developed compact whole-hand MRI scanner successfully visualized anatomical structures and rheumatoid arthritis lesions in a 16-minute examination, demonstrating feasibility for use in small clinics.
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