类风湿关节炎的MR表现

MR Features of Rheumatoid Arthritis

类风湿关节炎是一种常见的以关节组织慢性炎症性病变为主要表现的全身性疾病。它可侵犯多个关节,并常以手足小关节起病,多呈对称性,伴晨僵。病变反复发作,最终导致不同程度的关节功能障碍。MR由于其软组织分辨率高、成像切面和序列丰富,在类风湿关节炎的影像诊断方面具有很大的优势。MR能直接显示关节积液、滑膜炎和滑膜增生、血管翳形成、关节软骨和骨质的侵蚀破坏及肌腱、韧带异常等类风湿关节炎主要的病理改变,敏感性远高于普通X线检查。MR能早期发现病变,判定病变的活动度,明确病变累及的程度和范围,为疾病的临床早期诊断和早期治疗提供更多的信息。

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a common systemic rheumatic disease manifested mainly with chronic inflammation of the peripheral joints. It usually affcts small joints of hands and feet first, characterized by symmetric polyarticular involvements and morning stiffness. Reduplicative attacks and progression of rheumatoid arthritis will finally result in various degrees of dysfunction of joints. MR imaging is considered to have lots of advantages in assessment of rheumatoid arthritis because of its high resolution of soft tissues and various imaging plana and sequences. The major pathological changes of rheumatoid arthritis including joint effusion, synovitis and synovial hyperplasia, pannus formation, articular cartilage destruction and bone erosions and abnormalities of tendons and ligaments can be demonstrated clearly and directly by MR imaging. Because of its much higher sensitivity to these lesions compared with conventional radiography and the capability of early detection of lesions and evaluation of activity and extent of the disease, MR imaging may contribute more informations to clinical early diagnosis and therapy.