Established rheumatoid arthritis

The images presented in this chapter reflect a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and radiographic images of established rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including some manifestations such as severe deformities that are rarely seen in clinical practice because the clinical presentation of established RA has substantially changed over the last two decades. The change in clinical presentation is largely due to the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), particularly methotrexate, early in the disease course. The effect of DMARDs has been to tame the chronic inflammatory process and delay the progression of RA.