The application of T2 mapping, DWI and SPARCC in monitoring the treatment of sacroiliac bone marrow edema in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Motivation: Evaluation of sacroiliac subarticular bone marrow edema for active inflammation of ankylosing spondylitis（AS）before and after biologic treatment. Goal(s): MRI T2 mapping, DWI and SPARCC scores were used to compare the changes of BME in patients with AS before and after biologic treatment. Approach: DWI, SPARCC scores and T2mapping were compared to evaluate the changes of bone marrow edema in patients with sacroiliac arthritis alone or in combination. Results: The integrated diagnostic efficacy of DWI and T2 mapping demonstrates an optimal performance. Impact: The combined application of magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), T2 mapping, and STIR-T2WI SPARCC scores provides an effective quantitative method for the clinical evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of biologics in AS.