Is it Useful to Repeat Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Sacroiliac Joints After Three Months or One Year in the Diagnosis of Patients With Chronic Back Pain and Suspected Axial Spondyloarthritis?

Objective: To investigate the value of repeated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the sacroiliac (SI) joints in diagnosing chronic back pain patients in whom axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) is suspected and to examine determinants of positive MRI findings in SI joints.

Methods: Patients with chronic back pain (duration 3 months-2 years, age ≥16 years, age at onset <45 years) with ≥1 SpA feature who were included in the Spondyloarthritis Caught Early cohort underwent visits at baseline, at 3 months, and at 1 year. Visits included an evaluation of all SpA features and repeated MRI of SI joints.

The Impact of Illness Perceptions and Coping on the Association Between Back Pain and Health Outcomes in Patients Suspected of Having Axial Spondyloarthritis: Data From the SPondyloArthritis Caught Early Cohort.

Objective: To investigate whether illness perceptions and coping influence the relationship between back pain and health outcomes in patients suspected of having axial spondyloarthritis (SpA).

Methods: In the SPondyloArthritis Caught Early cohort, regression models were computed at baseline, with back pain intensity (range 0-10) as the determinant and health-related quality of life, the physical component summary score (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) of the Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey, or work productivity loss as outcomes. Subsequently, using Leventhal's Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation, illness perceptions and, thereafter, coping were added to the models.

Impact of replacing radiographic sacroiliitis by magnetic resonance imaging structural lesions on the classification of patients with axial spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: To investigate in patients with chronic back pain of a short duration, the utility of adding structural MRI lesions of the SI joints to the imaging criterion of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) axial SpA (axSpA) criteria and the utility of replacement of radiographic sacroiliitis by structural MRI lesions.

Methods: MRI STIR (inflammation, MRI-SI), MRI T1-weighted images (structural lesions, MRI-SI-s) and radiographs of the SI joints of patients in the SPondyloArthritis Caught Early-cohort (chronic back pain: ⩾3 months, ⩽2 years; onset <45 years) were scored by two well-calibrated readers. Previously proposed cut-offs for a positive MRI-SI-s were used (based on <5% prevalence in no-SpA patients): erosions ⩾3, fatty lesions ⩾3, fatty lesions and/or erosions (erosions/fatty lesions) ⩾5.