The role of advanced MRI in the development of treat-to-target therapeutic strategies, patient stratification and phenotyping in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

In this commentary, we discuss the potential of advanced imaging, particularly Dynamic Contrast Enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the objective assessment of the inflammatory process in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We emphasise the potential of DCE-MRI in advancing the field and exploring new areas of research and development in RA. We hypothesize that different grades of bone marrow edema (BME) and synovitis in RA can be examined and monitored in a more sensitive manner with DCE-MRI. Future treatments for RA may benefit from the application of enhanced imaging of BMEs and synovitis. DCE-MRI may also facilitate enhanced stratification and phenotyping of patients enrolled in clinical trials.