Hello, thank you for your enquiry.

Your question is about your mother having nodules over the elbow and knee joints with inflammatory features and spongy in consistency, where ultrasound and serology test showed no abnormalities, concern of having rheumatoid arthritis.

For your information, to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, you may refer to ACR/EULAR classification criteria, with the content of:

• the joints involvement
• duration of symptoms
• serology results
• changes of CRP and ESR.

Hence, you need a proper workup to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. As for osteoarthritis, it may have signs like Heberden’s nodules and Bouchard’s nodes which is painful and hard in consistency, some may have Baker’s cyst over the popliteal fossa of knee.
There are a lot of causes which may develop such nodules as well, such as lipoma, bursitis, neuroma, ganglion, tenosynovitis, nodular fasciitis and many more.

Therefore, to find out the final diagnosis for the nodules your mother having, a more detailed history and workup are required. A proper physical examinations and investigations such as xray and MRI are essential as well.

We highly recommend you to present to hospital with your mother for further examinations and investigations, then a proper treatment plan will be given for a better outcome.
You also can contact us for an online consultation for assistance.

Thank you, we hope our answer has been helpful.

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