Can Bone Erosion in Axial Spondyloarthropathy be Detected by Ultrashort Echo Time Imaging? A Comparison With Computed Tomography in the Sacroiliac Joint

Abstract

Background: Structural lesion evaluation in axial spondyloarthropathy (SpA) can improve accuracy of diagnosis. However, structural lesions (bone erosions) are difficult to be assessed using conventional MRI compared to computed tomography (CT).

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrashort echo time (UTE) for detecting bone erosion in axial SpA compared to T1WI and three-dimensional double-echo steady-state (3D DESS) imaging using CT as the reference standard.

Study type: Retrospective.

Population: Fourteen patients (eight females, 57.1%) and 14 healthy controls (seven females, 50.0%) who underwent sacroiliac (SI) joint MRI and CT.

Field strength/sequence: 3 T; TSE T1WI, 3D DESS, 2D UTE.

Assessment: The bilateral SI joints were assessed for bone erosion. Three observers scored bone erosion for all three sequences of MRI. CT was used as the gold standard. Diagnostic confidence in axial SpA was measured based on a four-point confidence score.

Statistical tests: Correlation of erosion scores between CT and MRI were evaluated using Spearman's correlation test. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive-negative predictive values were calculated. Confidence scores were compared using the Wilcoxon sum rank test. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results: Compared with erosion scores of CT, the correlation coefficients for each MRI sequence showed significant low-to-high positive correlations (0.39-0.72). UTE imaging showed the highest correlation coefficients for all observers (0.70, 0.72, and 0.67, respectively). The specificity of UTE imaging was equal or higher than those of T1WI and 3D DESS for all observers (0.86 vs. 0.71 vs. 0.57; 0.93 vs. 0.71 vs. 0.57; 0.79 vs. 0.79 vs. 0.43). All observers had the highest confidence in interpreting UTE imaging for detecting bone erosion among the three sequences (3.5, 3.4, and 3.3 for UTE; 3.1, 3.0, and 2.6 for T1WI; and 3.2, 2.7, and 2.4 for DESS).

Data conclusion: UTE imaging can detect bone erosions in patients with axial SpA and show higher specificity than conventional T1WI and 3D DESS.

Evidence level: 4 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Keywords: ankylosing spondylitis; magnetic resonance imaging; sacroiliac joint.