High-resolution peripheral quantitative CT (HR-pQCT). New insights into arthritis

The detection of periarticular bone lesions is of crucial importance in the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of chronic inflammatory diseases such as, but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis (RA). High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) was initially developed for the meticulous assessment of bone microstructure with a focus on bone density parameters. With an isotropic voxel size of 82 A mu m HR-pQCT is, however, also well suited for quantitative evaluation of periarticular bone lesions, such as erosion, osteophytes as well as bone surface changes in arthritis. The present article gives an overview of the manifold possibilities of application of this novel imaging modality and addresses potential benefits of this technique for rheumatology in the future.