Ankylosing spondylitis

This article suggests that the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria for axial spondyloarthritis should be modified, and proposes steps to improve the validity of its criteria.

Akkoc N & Khan MA. Clin Rheumatol 2016;35:1415–1423. doi:10.1007/s10067-016-3261-6

Deodhar et al found most patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) were diagnosed outside of rheumatology practices. The median delay from back pain diagnosis to referral was 10 months, and AS diagnosis followed within a month.

Deodhar A et al. Clin Rheumatol 2016;35:1769–1776. doi:10.1007/s10067-016-3231-z

Providing an overview of the recent advances in imaging of the axial skeleton in axial spondyloarthritis from a clinical perspective.

Pedersen SJ & Maksymowych WP. Curr Rheumatol Rep 2015;17:60. doi:10.1007/s11926-015-0531-2

This chapter provides an overview of the data on the role of ultrasound (US) in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and discusses the possible implementations of US in standard clinical care of AS patients.

Backhaus M, El Miedany Y. In: Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography. Edited by El Miedany Y.  Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2015. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-15723-8_4

A review of the role of biomarkers in the management of ankylosing spondylitis and axial spondyloarthritis in diagnosis, determining disease activity, and predicting those at risk for a worse outcome.

Reveille JD. Clin Rheumatol 2015;34:1009–1018. doi:10.1007/s10067-015-2949-3

This chapter discusses a computer algorithm to overcome radiographic limitations investigating its accuracy and precision, presenting results of a 2-year longitudinal study, and reviewing future challenges.

Tan S. In: Spinal Imaging and Image Analysis. Edited by Li S, Yao J. Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2015. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-12508-4_5

A review of the changes in the clinical picture and epidemiology of spondyloarthritis in light of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) classification criteria.

Nat Rev Rheumatol 2015;11:110–118. doi:10.1038/nrrheum.2014.181