Validation of MRI in the Assessment of Tophaceous Gout: An Imaging Panegyric

Aims & Objectives: Validation of MRI as a method of diagnosis and measurement of gouty tophi. Materials and Methods: We prospectively obtained 41 knee MRI studies of 19 patients with tophaceous gout: 28 at the beginning [3 of them bilateral] and 13 during the follow-up [1 of them bilateral] after receiving hypouricenmiante treatment. All the patients were men with a mean age at the first resonance of 56 years and all of them were diagnosed with gout through the direct visualization of Monosodium Urate crystals [MSU] in the synovial fluid of the knees. Conclusion: The MRI of the knee in patients with tophaceous gout shows good agreement for the detection of tophi and a good intraclass correlation both intra and interobserver for its measurement when considering the maximum diameters. Keywords: Gout; Imaging; MRI; Tophi; Knee; Urat