OPTIMIZATION OF X-RAY DIAGNOSIS OF ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE: IMPORTANCE OF A PLAIN X-RAY FILM OF THE PELVIS

Abstract

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a disease whose main clinical manifestation  is an inflammatory lesion in the axial skeleton with its gradual ankylosing. The peak incidence of AS occurs at a young age; and, if there is no timely adequate therapy, its disability rates are virtually as high as 50% ten years after disease onset, which determines the social importance of this disease The diagnosis of AS is based on its characteristic  clinical presentation  and the compulsory detection  of sacroiliitis on pelvic radiography. However, the existing reports of the X-ray stages of sacroiliac joint injuries in the literature provide little evidence and frequently misinterpret  radiographic changes. Based on their long-term  experience, the authors give expanded explanations of the standard X-ray stages of sacroiliitis and other radiographic signs that can make a diagnostic search in AS easier.