Findings on spine MRI may not always indicate spondyloarthritis: Study

Belgium: Progressive increase in sacroiliac joint and spinal lesions detected on MRI are frequently seen in healthy individuals, especially in older subjects and are not always the indicator of spondyloarthritis, reports a study published in the Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the most sensitive imaging technique to detect sacroiliitis, a primary manifestation of axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA). Bone marrow oedema (BMO) on MRI of sacroiliac joints (SIJs) represents a hallmark of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA), yet studies have shown that such lesions may also occur under augmented mechanical stress in healthy subjects, such as postpartum women, military recruits, and young athletes. MRI plays a pivotal role in spondyloarthritis (SpA) diagnosis. However, a detailed description of MRI findings of the sacroiliac (SI) joints and spine in healthy individuals is currently lacking.

The present study was conducted by Thomas Renson, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium and his team to evaluate the occurrence of MRI-detected SI joint and spinal lesions in healthy individuals in relation to age.

Researchers included 95 healthy subjects (ages 20–49 years) in the study who underwent an MRI of the SI joints and spine. Bone marrow oedema (BME) and structural lesions of the SI joints were scored using the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) method. Spinal inflammatory and structural lesions were evaluated using the SPARCC MRI spine inflammation index and the Canada-Denmark MRI scoring system, respectively. The research team reviewed the fulfilment of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society's definition of a positive MRI for sacroiliitis/spondylitis. Findings were compared to MRIs of axial SpA patients from the Belgian Inflammatory Arthritis and Spondylitis cohort.