FRACTURE compared to CT for detecting structural lesions of the sacroiliac joint in axial spondyloarthritis

Motivation: The detection of structural damage of the sacroiliac joint is essential for diagnosing axial spondyloarthritis. Goal(s): To assess the diagnostic performance of FRACTURE sequence in detecting structure lesions compared to CT. Approach: A retrospective study was conducted on 83 patients with definite axial SpA who underwent MRI and CT scans of the sacroiliac joint between 2021 and 2022. An overall impression of sacroiliitis grade was also provided according to the scoring system of the modified New York criteria. Results: When compared to CT as the standard, FRACTURE demonstrated high agreement with AUC values of 0.908, 0.943, 0.918 and 0.944 for sacroiliitis grade. Impact: FRACTURE can evaluate structural lesions and demonstrate good diagnostic performance in patients with SpA.