Radiologic diagnosis and pathology of the spondyloarthropathies

The two leading clinical symptoms of spondyloarthropathy patients are inflammatory back pain and asymmetric peripheral arthritis. These clinical features are also the basis for classification criteria. The spondyloarthropathies can be broken into four subcategories, which are differentiated on a clinical basis: ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and arthritis in chronic inflammatory bowel disease. If inflammatory back pain or asymmetrical peripheral arthritis is present along with enthesitis or positive family history, the patient can be classified as having undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy, the fifth subcategory. Each of these subcategories are reviewed, and features of radiologic diagnosis for each are discussed.