Introduction to reading radiographs by the Scott modification of the Larsen method

To examine its ability to evaluate progressive radiological damage, the Scott modification of the Larsen score was used for the hands, wrists, and feet (metatarsophalangeal joints) at time zero and at 12 months in 52 patients with early rheumatoid arthritis taking part in a therapeutic intervention study. The major practical difficulty was the technical discrepancy between initial and followup films in some patients. The metrological problems are discussed in the analysis, which compares the score on the same films using the Sharp score.