Research suggests the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may mask the amount of sacroiliac joint inflammation found on MRI in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard imaging modality for the detection of sacroiliitis, a hallmark of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). However, the specificity of MRI for axSpA has been questioned. Renson et al. found that structural MRI-detected SI joint lesions are frequently seen in healthy individuals.
Additional training may be needed on the appearance of the maturing sacroiliac (SI) joint on MRI. In a recent study, researchers found local radiologists may mistake normal physiologic changes of a maturing SI joint as sacroiliitis in pediatric patients.
A group led by Sarah Ringold, MD, MS, assistant professor of rheumatology at Seattle Children’s Hospital, has developed a new guideline intended to provide recommendations for the treatment and monitoring of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) manifesting as non-systemic polyarthritis, sacroiliitis or enthesitis.1,2 Key Updates The new recommendations appear in both Arthritis & Rheumatology…