The role of magnetic resonance imaging in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis presented with lymphedema-like swelling: a case report

Abstract

We report a 45-year-old lady with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) presented to us with unilateral swelling of the left hand and wrist, mimicking lymphedema. She was arranged to have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the affected hand and wrist. Lymphedema was successfully ruled out, and severe synovitis and tenosynovitis were found to be the causes of the extensive swelling. The case report aims to illustrate the importance of MRI in diagnosing and differentiating other important pathologies for lymphedema-like swelling in patients with RA.