Diagnostic Value of MRI of the Sacroiliac Joints in Juvenile Spondyloarthritis

Early diagnosis of spondyloarthritis (SpA) is becoming more important as new medical treatment options have become available to treat inflammation and delay progression of the disease. Increasingly, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the sacroiliac joints is obtained for early detection of inflammatory changes, as it shows active inflammatory and structural lesions of sacroiliitis long before radiographic changes become evident. MRI of the sacroiliac joints in children is a useful tool for suspected juvenile spondyloarthritis (JSpA), even though it is not yet included in the current pediatric classification systems. 

Recognizing MRI features of pediatric sacroiliitis is a challenge. As most radiologists are not familiar with the normal MRI appearance of the pediatric sacroiliac joint, clear definitions are mandatory. Actually, the adult Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) definition for sacroiliitis needs some adaptations for children. A proposal for a possible pediatric-specific definition for active sacroiliitis on MRI is presented in this review. Furthermore, MRI without contrast administration is sufficient to identify bone marrow edema (BME), capsulitis, and retroarticular enthesitis as features of active sacroiliitis in JSpA. In selected cases, when high short tau inversion recovery (STIR) signal in the joint is the only finding, gadolinium-enhanced images may help to confirm the presence of synovitis. 

Lastly, we found a high correlation between pelvic enthesitis and sacroiliitis on MRI of the sacroiliac joints in children. As pelvic enthesitis indicates active inflammation, it may play a role in assessment of the inflammatory status. Therefore, it should be carefully sought and noted when examining MRI of the sacroiliac joints in children.