THU0702 Are MRI-detected erosions specific for RA? a large explorative cross-sectional study
Authors: D Boeters, W Nieuwenhuis, H van Steenbergen, R Landewé, M Reijnierse, A van der Helm-van Mil
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2017)

<h3>Background</h3> Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended in the diagnostic process of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as it can detect damage at an earlier time point than conventional radiographs. However, MRI-detected erosions as defined by EULAR and included in RAMRIS are also observed in symptom-free controls, especially at older age. It is unclear how RA-specific erosions on MRI can be distinguished from physiological erosions in symptom-free individuals. Therefore this study compared MRI-detected erosions between RA-patients and healthy controls, including evaluation of the effect of age. <h3>Objectives</h3> To compare characteristics of MRI-detected erosions (total erosion score, location and severity of erosions and simultaneous presence of MRI-detected inflammation) in metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints between RA-patients and healthy controls. <h3>Methods</h3> 422 subjects (229 newly presenting patients with a clinical diagnosis of RA and fulfilling the 2010-criteria and 193 symptom-free controls) underwent contrast enhanced 1.5T MRI of unilateral MCP and MTP joints. The readers were blind to the clinical information. Total erosion score according to the RAMRIS method (hence a combination of number and severity), location and severity of erosions and simultaneous presence of MRI-detected inflammation (synovitis and/or bone marrow edema) were compared between groups, also in relation to age. <h3>Results</h3> First total erosion scores were analyzed. Both in RA-patients and in controls this score was associated with age (p&lt;0.001 in both groups). In addition, at all ages and on group level, RA-patients had 1.2 (95% CI 1.1–1.3) times higher erosion scores than controls. Despite this difference, total erosion scores could not differentiate RA-patients from controls on the individual level, as there was large overlap (Figure). Next different characteristics of erosions were explored within age groups (&lt;40, 40–59, ≥60) to search for RA-specific features. With respect to location, erosions found in MTP5 were specific for RA (spec 90–98% for different age groups). Erosions found in MTP1 were specific for RA if subjects were aged &lt;40 (spec 98%), but specificity decreased by increasing age (spec 86% if aged 40–59 and 63% if aged ≥60). Evaluating the severity revealed that "severe erosions" (scores ≥2) were infrequent in all subjects, but almost exclusively present in RA (spec 98–100%). Finally the simultaneous presence of erosions with inflammation was studied. In the age group &lt;40 years, the simultaneous presence was exclusively observed in RA-patients (specificity 100%); but specificity decreased by age since the combined presence was also seen in symptom-free controls (spec 91% if aged 40–59 and 71% if aged ≥60 years). <h3>Conclusions</h3> Whilst the group of RA-patients at disease presentation had significantly higher erosion-scores than healthy controls, scores of individual subjects were largely overlapping. Some erosion characteristics were specific for RA, but these were present in only a minority of all RA-patients (22%). <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> None declared