Journal of Clinical Case Reports

Usefulness of MRI and US in Successful Discontinuation of Etanercept in RA Patients: A Report of Two RA Cases

Abstract

Masahiro Kondo, Yohko Murakawa, Yoshiko Sumita, Mayuko Moriyama, Manabu Honda, Eiji Fukuba and Shuhei Yamaguchi

Etanercept (ETN) can induce remission in many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, successful
cessation is considered difficult. We present two cases with RA treated with ETN and successfully discontinued
ETN. Before ETN cessation, we evaluated the presence of synovitis using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and
ultrasonography (US). Neither patient showed signs of synovitis in these examinations. MRI and US may provide
useful indicators in the clinical recommendations for ETN cessation in RA