A group of international experts recently updated and validated the definitions for MRI lesions in the spine that are consistent with axial spondyloarthritis (SpA). The lesions with the highest frequency and best reliability were fatty and monomorphic inflammatory lesions in the vertebral angle.
Recently, the ASAS MRI Working Group, consisting of 12 rheumatologists and 2 radiologists, updated and validated the definitions for inflammatory and structural spinal lesions in the context of axial SpA.
The working group reviewed the literature on all possible types of spinal MRI pathologies in axial SpA. Based on this, the group decided on the necessary revision of the 2012 lesion definitions. Subsequently, the proposed definitions were validated in 62 MRI scans of the ASAS classification cohort.
Revisions were made for both inflammatory lesions (bone marrow edema) and structural lesions (including fat, erosion, and ankylosis). Localization (central versus lateral), extension (vertebral angle versus vertebral endplate) and size were considered. Furthermore, new definitions were proposed for the type of lesion based on lesion maturity (monomorphic versus dimorphic in the vertebral angle).
Bron:
Baraliakos X, Østergaard M, Lambert RG, et al. MRI lesions of the spine in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: an update of lesion definitions and validation by the ASAS MRI working group. Ann Rheum Dis. 2022 May 24. Online ahead of print.