Novel Imaging Markers for Rheumatoid Arthritis

"For the loading phase, it consists of the first 3 doses. During the loading phase, the recommended dose of Cimzia for adults with rheumatoid arthritis is 400mg initially followed by 400mg again at week 2 and week 4. A 400mg dose requires 2 subcutaneous injection of 200mg; the injections should occur at separate sites in the thigh or abdomen.~After the loading dose, will be follow with 200mg every other week. The injection should occur at either the thigh or abdomen."

MRI of the dominant wrist, before, during and after the gadolinium contrast injection will be acquired. The dose of the gadolinium agent for this study is 0.1mmol/kg body weight. This gadolinium contrast agent will increase the image contrast in the joints in the wrist and surrounding tissues and will make the MRI pictures stand out better.

HR-pQCT scan of the hand and wrist will be acquired to look at the bone quality. The scan uses special x-ray equipment to make detailed pictures of bone structure.