Quantitative computed tomography of the rheumatic knee.

A good noninvasive means to quantitate the extent and course of bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is currently not available. We report on ways of assessing arthritic bone changes by means of quantitative computed tomography (QCT). The visualization of lesions and the quantitation of bone density diminutions are based on a stack of forty thin computed tomograms and 3D reconstructions. A pilot study shows that QCT may be a useful tool in the noninvasive assessment of the progression of RA and that it may help to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic procedures.