Imaging | Rheumatology | International (two branches) provides reading services for plain radiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by expert readers, as well as imaging consultancy services for clinical trials and observational studies in the field of rheumatology. Consultancy includes the entire spectrum of radiographic and MRI trial design, reading and scoring of images, including eligibility reads, statistical analysis of imaging data and (statistical) interpretation, as well as publication of the results.

 

Désirée van der Heijde, the director of Imaging | Rheumatology BV, is a rheumatologist and a recognized authority in the field of imaging. She has many years of experience in this area, and has written many publications on this topic, She manages a group of well-trained, qualified readers in the Netherlands, France, Romania, Spain and India who score radiographs of trials in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis remotely. Images of phase II, phase III and phase IV programmes as well as images of investigator driven trials are within the scope of Imaging Rheumatology BV.

 

Robert Landewé, the director of Rheumatology | Consultancy BV, is a rheumatologist and an experienced methodologist in the field of imaging and beyond. He has experience in reading radiographs and MRIs of trials with patients with rheumatoid arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis. He manages several qualified readers in the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Germany and Spain. MRIs of clinical trials in the field of rheumatoid arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis and radiographs of trials in axial spondyloarthritis belong to the spectrum of Rheumatology Consultancy BV. Scoring of CT scans of the spine is an additional imaging modality.

 

Radiographic readers are qualified and trained in scoring radiographs according to the Sharp-van der Heijde method for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, and the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score [mSASSS] as well as the modified New York criteria for axial spondyloarthritis.

 

MRI readers are qualified and trained in scoring MRIs according to the Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Activity Score (ASspiMRIa), the Berlin modification of the ASspiMRIa and the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium Canada (SPARCC) score for axial spondyloarthritis.

 

MRI readers are qualified and trained in scoring MRIs according to the Rheumatoid Arthritis MRI score (RAMRIS) for rheumatoid arthritis.

 

CT scan readers are qualified and trained in scoring the CT Syndesmophyte Score (CTSS).

 

Images are usually scored on digital workstations, but plain films will also be accepted.