Table 2.

Comparative utility of X-ray, US, CT, and MRI in the diagnosis of gout.

	X-ray	US	CT	MRI
Erosion	+	++	+++	++
Effusion	+	+++	++	+++
Synovial proliferation	−	+++	+	+++
Tophus	+	+++	++	+++
Joint space narrowing	+++	−	+++	+++
Tendon pathology	−	+++	++	+++
Bone marrow edema	−	−	+	+++
Tophus or synovial vascularity	−	+++	−	+++