MRI of the wrist in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: erosions or normal variants? A prospective case-control study.

Background: Bony depressions at the wrist resembling erosions are frequently seen on MRI in healthy children. The accuracy of MRI in detecting early bony destruction is therefore questionable. We compared findings on MRI of the wrist in healthy children and those with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to investigate markers for true disease.

The paediatric wrist revisited: redefining MR findings in healthy children.

Objectives: During a multicentre study on juvenile idiopathic arthritis, wide variations were observed in bone shape, signal intensity and volume of joint fluid as shown by MRI which in part appeared to be unrelated to disease activity. A study was undertaken to examine these features in a cohort of healthy children.

Methods: 88 children of mean age 9.