Longitudinal radiographic analysis of rheumatoid arthritis in the hand and wrist

To assess the longitudinal radiographic osseous changes of the wrist and hand other than interphalangeal joints in rheumatoid disease.

Serial wrist and hand x-rays in 96 patients with long-standing rheumatoid disease were reviewed. The average number of years between initial and most recent x-rays was 15.1. The Larsen scoring system was used to assess the degree and severity of joint involvement. We identified patterns of involvement in the wrist, thumb, and finger metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints.

The radioscaphoid and radiolunate joints had the earliest and most severe progression of all joints studied. Scaphoid erosions often were seen early (27%) and their presence was a predictor of progressive involvement. Ulnar styloid erosions commonly were seen as early isolated findings (25%). The distal radioulnar joint showed a rapid increase in Larsen score and was involved in 78% of patients on late x-rays. The thumb showed considerable late MCP joint disease that often led to boutonniere deformity and the trapeziometacarpal joint had the least rate of progression of all joints studied. The most severely and frequently involved MCP joints were the radial (index and middle), which also had the greatest increase in score over the span of the study. Finger MCP joint disease was observed to progress temporally in a predictable pattern: first radial MCP joints of the dominant hand, followed by the nondominant radial MCP joints, and last the ulnar MCP joints of the nondominant hand with small finger involvement preceding that of the ring finger. Of all MCP joints, the ring finger was least affected.

This study clarified the longitudinal osseous radiographic changes of the wrist and hand (excluding interphalangeal joint) in rheumatoid disease.