Spondyloarthritis & psoriatic arthritis
Learning imaging in axial spondyloarthritis: more than just a matter of experience
Authors' conclusion
Differences exist in the learnability of the imaging modalities for axSpA diagnosis. MRI requires more experience, while CT is more suitable for inexperienced radiologists.
Study context
- Population
- Subjects with low back pain: 89 with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), 74 with other conditions (mechanical, degenerative or non-specific low back pain)9 blinded readers
- Participants
- 163 subjects
- Comparison
- Reader groups with different levels of experience (inexperienced, semi-experienced, experienced) reading X-ray (XR), CT and MRI of the sacroiliac joints
- Outcome
- Diagnostic performance of XR, CT and MRI of the sacroiliac joints for presence vs absence of axSpA, by reader experience
Methodological detailspost hoc analysis, blinded readers, Final diagnoses established by an experienced rheumatologist before the reading sessions
- Post hoc analysis
- Blinded readers
- Final diagnoses established by an experienced rheumatologist before the reading sessions
Performance
As reported in the abstract
Diagnostic performance by reader experience
| Outcome | Inexperienced | Semi-experienced | Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|
| CT&MRI diagnostic performance (highest) | 78.5% | 85.3% | — not stated in the abstract |
| MRI diagnostic performance | 76.1% | — not stated in the abstract | — not stated in the abstract |
| MRI diagnostic performance (highest) | — not stated in the abstract | — not stated in the abstract | 85.9% |
— not stated in the abstract
- Inexperienced vs Experienced: P = 0.001 — greatest difference in diagnostic performance; McNemar test
Further findings
- Inter-rater agreement (Fleiss kappa), best: CT in experienced group
- 0.87 · κ
Original publication
Learning imaging in axial spondyloarthritis: more than just a matter of experience. RMD Open. Published 4 March 2024. doi:10.
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