Ankylosing Spondylitis Bechterew disease
Conditions
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum
Eligibility
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: a) Male and female patients of at least 18 years having Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) fulfilling the Modified New York criteria, in which a patient has *definite* AS if the radiological criterion is associated with at least one clinical criterion: ;Clinical criterions: * low back pain and stiffness for more than 3 months that improves with exercise, but is not relieved by rest. * limitation of motion of the lumbar spine in the sagittal and frontal planes. * limitation of chest expansion relative to normal values correlated for age and sex.;Radiological criterion (sacroiliitis grade >= 2 bilaterally or grade 3-4 unilaterally) * grade 0 = no sacroiliitis * grade 1 = blurring of the joint margins (*suspicious*) * grade 2 = sclerosis, erosions, no changes in joint space * grade 3 = erosions, changes in joint space, partial ankylosis * grade 4 = complete ankylosis;b) Patients should have at least one syndesmophyte in either the cervical or lumbar spine radiograph at baseline conventional radiography. The maximum number of VUs is 9 (out of 12). ;c) The patient should have given written informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: * > 9 by syndesmophytes affected vertebral units.;* A history of alcoholism, drug abuse, psychological or other emotional problems, severe comorbidity likely to invalidate informed consent or limit the ability of the subject to comply with the protocol requirements.;* Routine MRI-contraindications (e.g. instable metal implants, pacemaker/ICD, vascular clips, hearing aids and claustrophobia).;* Pregnancy.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| To study whether there is a relationship between local inflammation and the development of new syndesmophytes at the same site in a vertebral unit in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: • Direct causal relationship: local inflammation * syndesmophyte formation • Indirect causal relationship: inflammation * local changes * resolved inflammation * syndesmophyte formation | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| • To examine the time order of pathologic changes (e.g. inflammation, fatty degeneration, erosion, syndesmophyte formation). • To examine the exact location of inflammation in a vertebral unit. • To test the hypothesis that syndesmophyte formation occurs at sites with complete normal anatomy without inflammation. • To assess the agreement between 3 and 7 Tesla MRI in detecting sites of inflammation • To assess the agreement between CT and conventional radiography of the cervical and lumbar spine in detecting structural changes. • To examine if the thoracic spine provides different information compared to the cervical and lumbar spine. | — |
Countries
Netherlands
Outcome results
None listed