الفهرس 
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Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis is a connective tissue inflammatory disease that affects mainly small joints of the body. RA could affect males and females with higher tendency for the later. The peak incidence of that disease falls between 4th to 5th decades. Approximately, 50% to75% of patients with RA have TMJ involvement during the course of the disease. When the TMJ is involved with RA, the involvement is bilateral in 34% to 75% of the patients and a close relationship exists between involvement of the TMJ and severity of the systemic disease. Clinical examination associated with computed tomographic CT findings are the most reliable means for diagnosis of rheumatoid disease affecting the temporomandibular joint.
The present study correlated between clinical, computed tomographic findings of TMJ and hand-wrist radiographic assessment of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
The study included forty individuals of both gender. All were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (thirty six females and four males).Their age ranged from 35-55 years old. They were equally divided into two groups: G1 and G2 based on the presence of clinical affection of the TMJ: Group1 (G1): included twenty patients without clinical affection of TMJ, and Group2 (G2): included twenty patients with clinical affection of TMJ.
All patients were assessed clinically through history taking and physical examination. They were referred to undergo CT examination of TMJ and plain x ray for hand and wrist. The radiographs were evaluated twice by the same operator with one week interval difference between the two assessments. All data were evaluated tabulated and statistically analyzed.
from the present study, the following could be concluded:
The most common CT findings of TMJ in rheumatoid arthritic patients were flattening, demineralization and narrowing in the joint space.
The most common hand and wrist findings in rheumatoid arthritic patients were ulna and radius osteoporosis, carpal fusion, metacarpal cystic changes, phalanges erosion and narrowing in joint space.
The most common clinical findings in rheumatoid arthritic patients were stiffness and tenderness, pain in TMJ area, ocular symptoms and frequent headache attacks.
The involvement was bilateral in both TMJ and hand and wrist.
A high correlation was found between CT findings and hand and wrist findings in both G1 and G2 but it was more in G2.
A high correlation was found between CT and clinical findings in G2.
A high correlation was found between hand and wrist and clinical findings in G2.