{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T02:39:44Z","timestamp":1760150384353,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,23]],"date-time":"2023-11-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1700697600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background. Osteoarthritis of the hand joints in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients might be an independent manifestation leading to limitation of upper extremity function. There is no publication quantitatively assessing the thickness of articular cartilage within the hand joints of SSc patients by MRI. The purpose of our study was to quantify the condition and thickness of hand joints cartilage with three-dimensional quantitative MRI (3D q-MRI). Methods. The study was conducted in twenty people: ten patients with SSc and ten healthy individuals. All participants were examined with the 3D q-MRI with 3T scanner. The cartilage thickness of proximal (PIP) and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints as well as metacarpophalangeal joints was measured. Results. There was no significant difference in cartilage thickness between both groups. However, the joint cartilage was thinner in fingers with acro-osteolysis. In PIP joint of the fingers with acro-osteolysis, the mean cartilage thickness was 0.5 mm (p = 0.0043) and 0.4 mm (p = 0.0034) in DIP joints. Conclusions. Quantitative MRI analysis of the joints of the hands of SSc patients does not indicate changes in thickness of the articular cartilage. A significant reduction in the articular cartilage thickness of the fingers with acro-osteolysis indicates the potential of an ischemic basis of articular cartilage destruction in SSc patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12237247","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,23]],"date-time":"2023-11-23T03:45:56Z","timestamp":1700711156000},"page":"7247","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Three-Dimensional Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Cartilage Evaluation of the Hand Joints of Systemic Sclerosis Patients: A Novel Insight on Hand Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis\u2014Preliminary Report"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3486-3555","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Micha\u0142","family":"Waszczykowski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Arthroscopy, Minimally Invasive Surgery and Sports Traumatology, Medical University of Lodz, Kosciuszki 4, 90-419 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4513-0602","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Micha\u0142","family":"Podg\u00f3rski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"3rd Radiology Department, WAM Hospital, Medical University of Lodz, Zeromskiego 113, 90-549 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jaros\u0142aw","family":"Fabi\u015b","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Arthroscopy, Minimally Invasive Surgery and Sports Traumatology, Medical University of Lodz, Kosciuszki 4, 90-419 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4950-6390","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arleta","family":"Waszczykowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Lodz, Kopcinskiego 22, 90-153 Lodz, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"615","article-title":"A proposal of criteria for the classification of systemic sclerosis","volume":"10","author":"Nadashkevich","year":"2004","journal-title":"Med. 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