Clinical/methodical issue: For optimal therapy management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) specific and sensitive diagnostic methods are essential for assessment of disease activity.
Standard radiological methods: In addition to projection radiography, imaging techniques, in particular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) are becoming increasingly more important for the early diagnosis of RA.
Practical recommendations: The MRI and US techniques play a key role in the early imaging diagnostics of RA. Measurement of inflammation activity represents the basis of therapeutic decision-making and can be quantitatively and qualitatively determined with MRI and US. Synovitis and bone marrow edema are predictors of erosion.