To evaluate the feasibility of an empirical mathematical model (EMM) to fit dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) data of hand and wrist synovitis and whether parameters of EMM are significantly correlated with clinical disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Thirty-one consecutive patients with RA prospectively underwent Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved DCE-MRI scans with temporal resolution of 20 s using a 1.5T system. ROIs were placed where the highest signal increase was observed and the kinetic curves were analyzed using an EMM: ΔS(t) = A(1 - e
A showed a significant correlation with DAS28-ESR (r = 0.58; P = 0.0005). β, AUC30 and T
EMM could fit the DCE-MRI data of hand and wrist synovitis. AUC30 obtained from the uptake phase of the kinetic curve as well as A, β and T