Intra-articular rice bodies : imaging for persistent joint pain

Abstract

Rice bodies are fibrous bodies that macroscopically resemble grains of rice. They may uncommonly occur as a complication of inflammatory arthritides but may create diagnostic confusion when the patient has no underlying inflammatory disease. The combined use of ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and plain film makes it possible to reach a correct diagnosis. We describe a patient with a chronic monoarthritis of unknown aetiology who presented with rice bodies in the right elbow joint demonstrated on MRI.