Magnetic resonance imaging applications in early rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis and management.

Early diagnosis and treatment have been recognized as essential for improving clinical outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a sensitive modality that can assess both inflammatory and structural lesions. MRI can assist in following the disease course in patients treated with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biological therapies both in the clinic and in research trials. Therefore, it is anticipated that MRI becomes the diagnostic imaging modality of choice in RA clinical trials while remaining a useful tool for clinicians evaluating patients with RA.