Spondyloarthritis & psoriatic arthritis
Inflammation in the posterior elements, in particular the facet joint and facet joint ankylosis over 2-year follow-up in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis
Authors' conclusion
FJ inflammation is rare in severe r-axSpA, but when present, the likelihood of developing subsequent FJA is over three times higher compared with FJ without inflammation.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) and ≥1 radiographic spinal syndesmophyte, Sensitive Imaging in Ankylosing Spondylitis cohort; full-spine MRI at baseline, 1 and 2 years≥2 reader scores available
- Participants
- 58 patients
- Exposure
- Facet joint (FJ) inflammation vs no FJ inflammation; Posterior element (PE) inflammation vs no PE inflammation
- Outcome
- Subsequent new FJ ankylosis (FJA) on MRI per VU level
- Follow-up
- 2 years
Methodological detailsmultilevel time-lagged autoregressive generalised estimated equations, three readers
- Multilevel time-lagged autoregressive generalised estimated equations
- Three readers
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Subsequent new FJA (multilevel analysis)
Each group vs no inflammationOdds ratio (95% CI)
FJ inflammation
3.8(1.5–9.8)
PE inflammation
1.2(0.6–2.4)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Baseline prevalence
- PE inflammation
- 59%
- FJ inflammation
- 24%
- FJ ankylosis (FJA)
- 26%
- PE inflammation more prevalent in lower thoracic spine, FJ inflammation in upper thoracic spine
Vertebral unit (VU) with subsequent new FJA
- VU with PE inflammation
- 2
- VU with FJ inflammation
- 1
Original publication
Inflammation in the posterior elements, in particular the facet joint and facet joint ankylosis over 2-year follow-up in radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. RMD Open. Published 8 June 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →