Imaging of juvenile spondyloarthritis. Part I: Classifications and radiographs

Juvenile spondyloarthropathies are manifested mainly by symptoms of peripheral arthritis and enthesitis. By contrast with adults, children rarely present with sacroiliitis and spon­dylitis. Imaging and laboratory tests allow early diagnosis and treatment. Conventional radiographs visualize late inflammatory lesions and post-inflammatory complications. Early diagnosis is possible with the use of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imag­ing. The first part of the article presents classifications of juvenile spondyloarthropathies and discusses their radiographic presentation. Typical radiographic features of individual types of juvenile spondyloarthritis are listed (including ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis and arthritis in the course of inflammatory bowel diseases). The second part will describe changes visible on ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. In patients with juvenile spondyloarthropathies, these examinations are conducted to diagnose inflammatory lesions in peripheral joints, tendon sheaths, ten­dons and bursae. Moreover, magnetic resonance imaging also visualizes early inflamma­tory changes in the axial skeleton and subchondral bone marrow edema, which is consid­ered an early sign of inflammation

A Comparison of Two Radiography Scoring Methods Used by Rheumatologists and Radiologists in Patients with Established Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: There are numerous radiographic scoring methods in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The scoring method Sharp/van der Heijde (SHS) is considered “a gold standard†for the assessment of the disease progression in RA. It is reliable but complex scoring method, which is time consuming and is used by well trained readers. The Simple Erosion Narrowing Score (SENS) was derived from the SHS method as an easier, quicker and reliable method for joint lesions scoring.Aim: The aim of the present work is to use and to evaluate the SENS method, for the first time in Macedonia, in comparison with SHS, and to test the agreement between the readers for the two scoring methods, in a group of patients with established RA.Materials and Methods: Evaluation of the patients included collection of demographic and clinical data, physical examination and calculation of the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS-28). Laboratory tests and bilateral radiographs of the hands, wrists and feet were done in each of the patients. The radiographs were scored in pairs by two independent readers: rheumatologist and experienced radiologist.Results: The study group consisted of 54 RA patients. The mean age of the patients was 54,4 years. The average duration of the disease was 4,74 years with the mean DAS 28 score 5,0. The average radiography scores read by the rheumatologist and radiologist were 43,7 vs. 38,6 for the total SENS and 70 vs. 72 for the total SHS score. The interobserver reliability was calculated by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) which was 0,77 for SENS and 0,88 for the SHS score. The intraobserver reliability was 0,76 vs 0,74 for the rheumatologist and radiologist, respectively.Conclusion: The performances of SENS method were good and the reading was very fast and easy. The agreement between the readers was higher for the more detailed SHS score

Diagnostyka obrazowa młodzieńczych spondyloartropatii. Część I: Klasyfikacje i radiogramy

Juvenile spondyloarthropathies are manifested mainly by symptoms of peripheral arthritis and enthesitis. By contrast with adults, children rarely present with sacroiliitis and spondylitis. Imaging and laboratory tests allow early diagnosis and treatment. Conventional radiographs visualize late inflammatory lesions and post-inflammatory complications. Early diagnosis is possible with the use of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. The first part of the article presents classifications of juvenile spondyloarthropathies and discusses their radiographic presentation. Typical radiographic features of individual types of juvenile spondyloarthritis are listed (including ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis and arthritis in the course of inflammatory bowel diseases). The second part will describe changes visible on ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. In patients with juvenile spondyloarthropathies, these examinations are conducted to diagnose inflammatory lesions in peripheral joints, tendon sheaths, tendons and bursae. Moreover, magnetic resonance imaging also visualizes early inflammatory changes in the axial skeleton and subchondral bone marrow edema, which is considered an early sign of inflammation.Młodzieńcze spondyloartropatie manifestują się przede wszystkim objawami zapalenia stawów obwodowych i entez. W przeciwieństwie do chorych dorosłych u dzieci wyjątkowo rzadko dochodzi do zajęcia stawów krzyżowo-biodrowych i kręgosłupa. Wykonanie badań radiologicznych i laboratoryjnych pozwala na wczesne rozpoznanie i włączenie leczenia. Tradycyjne radiogramy obrazują późne zmiany zapalne oraz powikłania procesu zapalnego. Wczesne rozpoznanie jest możliwe w badaniu ultrasonograficznym i rezonansie magnetycznym. W pierwszej części artykułu przedstawiono klasyfikacje młodzieńczych spondyloartropatii oraz omówiono ich obraz radiograficzny. Wymieniono charakterystyczne cechy poszczególnych młodzieńczych spondyloartropatii, w tym młodzieńczego zesztywniającego zapalenia stawów kręgosłupa, młodzieńczego łuszczycowego zapalenia stawów, reaktywnego zapalenia stawów oraz zapalenia w przebiegu nieswoistych zapaleń jelit. W drugiej części zostaną omówione zmiany w badaniu ultrasonograficznym i rezonansie magnetycznym. U pacjentów z młodzieńczymi spondyloartropatiami badania te są wykonywane w diagnostyce zmian zapalnych stawów obwodowych, pochewek ścięgnistych i ścięgien oraz kaletek. W rezonansie widoczne są ponadto wczesne zmiany zapalne w kręgosłupie osiowym oraz obrzęk szpiku, uznawany za wczesny objaw zapalenia. Artykuł w wersji polskojęzycznej jest dostępny na stronie http://jultrason.pl/index.php/wydawnictwa/volume-17-no-7