Lasers Pinpoint Joint Damage

May 10, 2002

Thu May 9, 7:10 PM ET

By Serena Gordon

HealthScoutNews Reporter

THURSDAY, May 9 (HealthScoutNews) -- German scientists have developed a

new technique using laser imaging to measure inflammation in the finger

joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Much like children holding flashlights to their hands to see the bones

inside, laser imaging sees through the skin and the picture is captured

on a computer, says a study in this month's Arthritis and Rheumatism.

The advantages of using this device are that it's easy to use,

noninvasive and inexpensive. It may also eventually provide doctors with

a way to more accurately assess arthritis patients, the study says.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than 2 million people in the United

States, reports the Arthritis Foundation. It causes inflammation of the

lining of the joints, most commonly in the hands or feet. Symptoms of

the disease include pain, swelling and redness of the affected joints.

Early treatment is important, because it helps stop joint damage. The

problem is that early diagnosis of the disease is sometimes difficult,

says study author Dr. Scheel, from the department of

Nephrology and Rheumatology at Georg-August-University of Gottingen in

Germany.

" Until now, conventional radiography has been the standard imaging

method to detect and quantify destructive arthritis, but this method is

very insensitive in detecting early erosive lesions, " he says.

While he admits his laser-imaging technique can't yet be used to make an

early diagnosis, Scheel says it can provide physicians with important

information on a patient's response to medication and could be helpful

for researchers trying to quantify the effectiveness of medications used

to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Scheel and his colleagues tested the new device on 22 rheumatoid

arthritis patients over a six-month period. The patients ranged in age

from 22 to 75.

The volunteers placed their hands in a holder designed to position the

hand so the laser above could transmit an image to a camera below. The

camera then sent the image to a computer, where the data was analyzed by

special software.

When they compared the information from laser imaging to hand X-rays and

doctors' evaluations, the researchers found laser imaging was 83 percent

accurate in detecting changes in the amount of inflammation in the

joints.

" There are no risks for the patient. The laser light has a wavelength…

which is not dangerous at all, and there is no radiation, " Scheel says.

However, he does acknowledge there are drawbacks to this method.

First, right now only the finger joints can be examined with this

method. Also, laser light is very sensitive and changes in skin color,

moisture level, room temperature, dirt on the skin or calloused skin can

all cause the laser light to scatter, which would affect the quality of

the image.

What To Do

Don't expect to find laser imaging in a hospital near you anytime soon.

The device is still in its preliminary development stages. Scheel says

more studies need to be done comparing it to traditional imaging methods.

To learn more about rheumatoid arthritis, read this information from the

Arthritis Foundation.

For more information on laser imaging, go to the Lawrence Berkeley

National Laboratory.

May 11, 2002

a,

This is very interesting. The most noticeable swelling I have is in my left

hand. Repeated x-rays of that hand have come back as normal. If I hadn't

had a bone scan, which revealed major inflammation in my hands, as well as

many other joints, the traditional tests would not have picked up any

abnormalities (other than the C-reactive protein test) which wasn't run on

me till the referral to the rheumatologist had taken place.

I wonder how soon doctors will start employing this testing method?

Suzanne

[ ] Lasers Pinpoint Joint Damage