Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of bilateral hands is more optimal than MRI of the unilateral hand in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

This is the main conclusion of a Chinese study. The research was led by a team from the Departments of Rheumatology and Radiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital; Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Results were published in The Journal of Rheumatology.

About 120 patients with RA were recruited. They were subject to clinical assessments, radiographs, and MRI of bilateral hands. Bilateral hands were scanned simultaneously on 3.0 T whole-body MRI system and were scored on synovitis, osteitis, and bone erosion according to the RA MRI scoring (RAMRIS) system.