Magnetic resonance imaging of rheumatoid arthritis: The evolution of clinical applications through clinical trials

Powerful techniques are being developed for evaluating rheumatoid arthritis with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Much of this development is being d riven by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries searching for nove l therapies for this disease, Accordingly, the imaging tools that ultimatel y will be used to direct patients to specific therapies and then to monitor treatment effectiveness and safety are currently being refined and validat ed in rigorous multicenter and multinational clinical trials aimed at gaini ng regulatory approval of these new therapies, As these trials approach com pletion, rheumatologists can anticipate an increased demand for expertise a nd experience in evaluating disease progression and treatment response with these techniques and the emergence of MRI systems specifically designed fo r this market, The following discussion reviews this novel pathway for evol ving imaging techniques for clinical use through clinical drug trials, list s the most promising MRI markers available today for evaluating joint destr uction in rheumatoid arthritis, and speculates on how these techniques will find their way into clinical practice. Semin Arthritis Rheum 30:375-396, Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Compa ny.