Figure 2

Total SUV values of the affected joints. The total SUV values of 12 joints (a) and eight joints (b) are shown. The total SUV values were significantly decreased at three months and six months compared to baseline. The bars within the squares indicate the medians of the total SUV values. The median and range of each observation were the following: (a) 12 joints; 22.5 (13.9 – 53.6), 19.0 (13.1 – 43.5) and 18.0 (12.2 – 37.1). (b) 8 joints; 16.1 (9.9 – 42.2), 13.2 (8.9 – 31.9) and 12.0 (8.6 – 24.5). *indicates a significant difference compared with the value observed at baseline (Wilcoxon signed rank-sum test, p < 0.05).