Article

Although the diagnosis and structural monitoring of ankylosing spondylitis relies
classically on standard radiography, recent classification criteria and
recommendations issued by the ASAS-OMERACT working group give considerable weight
to modern imaging methods, most notably magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI
and, more recently, ultrasonography, yield three major benefits: they ensure the
early diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis in the absence of radiographic
sacroiliitis, they provide therapeutic guidance at any time during the course of
the disease, and they supply objective information on the degree of inflammation
and response to treatment. Prospective longitudinal studies are under way to
determine the respective roles for MRI and ultrasonography in the diagnosis and
monitoring of axial and peripheral forms of ankylosing spondylitis. The
introduction of whole-body MRI, new MRI sequences and positron emission
tomography can be expected to further benefit the diagnosis of ankylosing
spondylitis.
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Langue : ANGLAIS