Spondyloarthritis & psoriatic arthritis
Prevalence and anatomical distribution of MRI lesions in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and differences between patients with and without peripheral involvement: results from the ASAS classification cohort
Authors' conclusion
The prevalence and anatomical distribution of ASAS-defined MRI lesions was similar across axSpA subgroups.
Study context
- Population
- axSpA patients with sacroiliac joint (SIJ) MRI from the ASAS Classification Cohort67 also had spinal MRI
- Participants
- 199 patients
- Exposure
- axSpA with peripheral manifestations vs isolated axial involvement
- Outcome
- Prevalence and anatomical distribution of inflammatory and structural MRI lesions (SIJ and spine)
Methodological detailscentral MRI reading with multi-reader majority agreement, ASAS lesion definitions
- Central MRI reading with multi-reader majority agreement
- ASAS lesion definitions
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prevalence of MRI lesions (all axSpA patients)
- Subchondral SIJ bone marrow oedema (BMO), without quadrant preference or subgroup differences
- 49%
- Other SIJ inflammatory lesions
- 4%-18%
- SIJ erosions
- 35%
- SIJ fat lesions
- 22%
- Spinal BMO
- 38%
- Spinal fat lesions
- 25%
- Spinal syndesmophytes/ankylosis
- 5%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Distribution of lesions in patients with both SIJ and whole spine MRI (n=40)
- Inflammatory lesions in both sites
- 18%
- Inflammatory lesions SIJ only
- 38%
- Inflammatory lesions spine only
- 20%
- Structural lesions in both sites
- 19%
- Structural lesions SIJ only
- 30%
- Structural lesions spine only
- 5%
- Structural lesions: no subgroup differences
Original publication
Prevalence and anatomical distribution of MRI lesions in axSpA and differences between patients with and without peripheral involvement: results from the ASAS classification cohort. RMD Open. Published 5 January 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →