Descriptions and Terminology of MRI lesions in the Sacroiliac Joints of patients with Spondylitis

What is it about?

Ankylosing Spondylitis is a relatively common disease that affects people from the third decade onwards. In recent years many highly effective therapies have become available but a major problem is the difficulty in making an early diagnosis. This is increasingly dependent on MRI examination of the sacroiliac joints. MRI reveals many different types of lesions and we now understand a great deal about how they appear and how they evolve over time. Many different terms and descriptions have been used to define these lesions which has often created confusion in the medical literature. It is very important to use a well-defined and internationally accepted terminology to describe these lesions. The ASAS MRI working group is an international group of experts in MRI and ankylosing spondylitis. We have conducted several meetings and arrived at an consensus set of definitions to describe MRI lesions in the sacroiliac joint which represents an extensive update from the first report that was published a decade ago. We have also tested how well these definitions are understood by assessing the reliability of their detection In almost 300 MRI scans from patients assessed for ankylosing spondylitis by 7 expert MRI readers from the group. We expect that this work will lead to further advances in early diagnosis and management of this disease.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This work describes an internationally agreed upon terminology for defining the full spectrum of lesions seen on MRI in the sacroiliac joints of patients with spondylitis.

Perspectives