Is the fluorescence optical imaging (FOI) able to discriminate between rheumatoid arthritis patients with and without need of rituximab retherapy? A cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of fluorescence optical imaging (FOI) Xiralite in the discrimination between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with and without need of rituximab (RTX) retherapy-in comparison to clinical, laboratory and musculoskeletal ultrasound parameters.

Patients And Methods: Patients with established RA were prospectively followed over 1 year by Disease Activity Score 28, patient's global disease activity (visual analogue scale 0-100 mm), C reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ultrasound seven joint (US7) score and FOI in phases 1-3 and automatically generated PrimaVista mode (PVM) at baseline (before RTX) and after 3, 6 and 12 months. The need for RTX retherapy was decided by the treating rheumatologist-blinded to imaging data.