65-year-old male with fever and elbow swelling. Evaluation is limited due to patient motion artifact, patient body habitus, and inability to optimally position the patient. The elbow joint is distended with heterogeneous material of both increased and decreased signal intensity on T2-weighted images. There is also enhancement of the joint margins indicating a synovitis. There are rounded foci of abnormal signal intensity within the lateral aspect of the capitellum as well as within the olecranon that could represent cysts or erosions. There is mild edema within the distal humerus. There is edema and enhancement of much of the proximal forearm musculature. There is edema and enhancement of the visualized distal triceps musculature indicating inflammation. There is also mild edema and enhancement of the distal brachialis. These findings suggest inflammation. There is also diffuse subcutaneous edema and skin thickening.
Extremely limited study due to the patient's body habitus, motion artifact, and inability to optimally position the patient showing diffuse inflammation of the subcutaneous fat and musculature of the elbow as well as a synovitis of the elbow joint with a heterogeneous joint effusion. Please note we cannot exclude the possibility of septic arthritis, although the joint effusion is nonspecific and could represent gout or other noninfectious etiologies. These findings were discussed during the joint rheumatology-radiology conference today.