Get more information about the current state of gout research.

Sign Up Now

See the evidence of gout and bone erosion

LEARN MORE

Tophus Burden Urate crystal burden may not be visually apparent3-5

Urate crystals can accumulate almost anywhere in the body without visible indication.6,7

4x more urate deposits were found using DECT vs through clinical examination5*
X-ray of gout patient's hand showing tophi deposits in the wrist, DECT scan of gout patient revealing uric acid deposition in wrist and fingers
X-ray of gout patient's hand showing tophi deposits in the wrist, DECT scan of gout patient revealing uric acid deposition in wrist and fingers

Deposition of monosodium urate crystals detected using DECT (displayed in green). Images courtesy of
Dr Jürgen Rech. Individual patient presentations may vary.5

HANDS
X-ray of gout patient showing urate crystal deposits in the finger X-ray of gout patient showing urate crystal deposits in the finger X-ray of gout patient showing urate crystal deposits in the finger

Imaging highlights the links between urate crystal deposition, tophus formation, the resulting inflammation, and bone erosion.14,15

Urate Crystal DepositionVisible and nonvisible tophi have been associated with structural joint damage8-12

Three-dimensional reconstruction technique by DECT depicts urate crystal deposits (green color mapping, arrows) around the extensor tendons of bilateral ankles.13

Time to DissolveHow long does it take for tophi to dissolve?

A visible tophus the size of just 1 die may take more than 2 years to dissolve with an sUA level of 5.4 mg/dL.16*

*According to a long-term follow-up of patients receiving a mean daily dosage of 320 mg allopurinol.16

An image of a hand holding a die

Learn more about gout and the damaging effects to organs

LEARN MORE

DECT, Dual-energy computed tomography; sUA, serum uric acid.

References

  1. Dalbeth N, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2010;62(5):1549-1556. 
  2. Vincent ZL, et al. J Rheumatol. 2017;44(3):368-373. 
  3. Thiele RG, et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2007;46(7):1116-1121. 
  4. Bongartz T, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015;74(6):1072-1077. 
  5. Choi HK, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2009;68(10):1609-1612. 
  6. Doghramji PP, et al. Postgrad Med. 2012;124(6):98-109. 
  7. Park JJ, et al. BMJ Open. 2014;4(7):e005308. 
  8. Dalbeth N, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015;74(6):1030-1036. 
  9. Doghramji PP, et al. Postgrad Med. 2012;124(6):98-109. 
  10. McQueen FM, et al. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2012;8(3):173-181. 
  11. Desai MA, et al. RadioGraphics. 2011;31(5):1365-1375. 
  12. Yu KH, et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2004;43(2):191-194. 
  13. Wang Y, et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018;97(42):e12834. 
  14. McQueen FM, et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014;53(1):95-103. 
  15. Rees F, et al. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2014;10(5):271-283. 
  16. Perez-Ruiz F, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2002;47(4):356-360.