[Possibilities and relevance of three-dimensional reconstruction of the sacroiliac joint]

The sacroiliacal joint is difficult to evaluate clinically due to its complex form and its topographical position, deep in the body and surrounded by other skeletal structures. We evaluated the potential role of three-dimensional reconstruction and segmentation of CT data of this joint. A total of five patients were examined (age range 24-60 years). In three of these only surface reconstructions were obtained; in the other two, segmentation was obtained as well in order to directly visualize the joints surfaces of the sacroiliacal joint. Compared to conventional radiographs and standard CT, three-dimensional reconstruction and segmentation of the sacroiliac joint did not add significant information. The subtle skeletal findings occurring in inflammatory and degenerative disease were obscured by the process of segmentation. Therefore, radiographs and, in selected cases, CT remain the imaging methods of choice for the evaluation of sacroiliac pathology.