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Updated: Oct 15, 2025

Diagnosis and Surgical Treatment of Human Brucellar Spondylodiscitis
Published on: May 23, 2021
Beyond the sacro-Iliac joints: Vertebral involvement in axial spondylarthritis
Hamza Rahimi1, Ali Guermazi1, Frank W Roemer2
1Department of Radiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis of axial spondylarthritis (axSpA). Commonly the sacroiliac joints are involved but vertebral involvement can occur in isolation in 1 out of 4 patients. Recognizing vertebral involvement patterns in axSpA can help establishing a diagnosis early and initiate therapy before irreversible changes have occurred. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the reference standard for early detection of inflammatory changes of the disease. Aims of this review are to present an overview of the imaging findings of vertebral involvement in axSpA, and to detail the current recommendations on the role of imaging in the diagnosis of axSpA in patients with isolated vertebral involvement.
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