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A Quantitative Evaluation of Rheumatoid Arthritic Activity with Tc-99m HEDP

Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana

Correspondence: For reprints contact: H. M. Park, Chief, Nuclear Medicine, Wishard Memorial Hospital, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

ABSTRACT

In an attempt to develop a quantitative method of evaluating rheumatoid arthritic activity, Tc-99m HEDP joint uptake values and joint-to-bone ratios were studied in ten adult rheumatoid arthritic patients and 17 nonarthritic patients.

A joint-to-bone activity ratio of 1.8 at the fourth hour after injection (RA Index) discriminated clinically active rheumatoid arthritic joints from control joints with 95% accuracy. Serial studies on five patients during drug trial demonstrated a positive correlation between RA Index and the clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritic activity. The RA Index may be a useful quantitative parameter for evaluation of rheumatoid arthritic activity following therapy.