Methods and materials
Image representation of peak signal intensity, which corresponds to the maximum contrast enhancement, was then fused in colour with the initial T1-weighted sequence and reconstructed in 3 anatomical planes. The PEAK enhancement map was also fused onto a rotating 3D volumetric reconstruction.
3 consultant musculoskeletal radiologists (with at least 3 years’ experience each) reviewed each study for bone marrow oedema, erosions and synovitis as per the modified OMERACT RAMRIS scoring method. Scoring was performed on separate occasions on the anonymised standard and fusion images in the absence of a previous report or clinical findings.
Results
We compared the OMERACT scores obtained from the standard images with those obtained from the TRICKS MRA fusion images, and assessed for intra-observer and inter-observer variability.
Discussion