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Bone marrow edema in sacroiliitis: detection with dual-energy CT

  • Musculoskeletal
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for the detection of bone marrow edema (BME) in patients suspected for sacroiliitis.

Methods

Patients aged 18–55 years with clinical suspicion for sacroiliitis were enrolled. All patients underwent DECT and 3.0 T MRI of the sacroiliac joints on the same day. Virtual non-calcium (VNCa) images were calculated from DECT images for demonstration of BME. VNCa images were scored by two readers independently using a binary system (0 = normal bone marrow, 1 = BME). Diagnostic performance was assessed with fluid-sensitive MRI as the reference standard. ROIs were placed on VNCa images, and CT numbers were displayed. Cutoff values for BME detection were determined based on ROC curves.

Results

Forty patients (16 men, 24 women, mean age 37.1 years ± 9.6 years) were included. Overall inter-reader agreement for visual image reading of BME on VNCa images was good (κ = 0.70). The sensitivity and specificity of BME detection by DECT were 65.4% and 94.2% on the quadrant level and 81.3% and 91.7% on the patient level. ROC analyses revealed AUCs of 0.90 and 0.87 for CT numbers in the ilium and sacrum, respectively. Cutoff values of − 44.4 HU (for iliac quadrants) and − 40.8 HU (for sacral quadrants) yielded sensitivities of 76.9% and 76.7% and specificities of 91.5% and 87.5%, respectively.

Conclusions

Inflammatory sacroiliac BME can be detected by VNCa images calculated from DECT, with a good interobserver agreement, moderate sensitivity, and high specificity.

Key Points

• Virtual non-calcium images calculated from dual-energy CT can detect sacroiliac bone marrow edema in patients suspected for sacroiliitis.

• Dual-energy CT has a high specificity in bone marrow edema detection.

• Virtual non-calcium images for bone marrow edema in patients with a large amount of red bone marrow or obvious sclerosis near the articular surface should be interpreted with caution.

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Abbreviations

AUC:

Area under the ROC curve

BME:

Bone marrow edema

CI:

Confidence interval

DECT:

Dual-energy computed tomography

ICC:

Intraclass correlation coefficient

NPV:

Negative predictive value

PPV:

Positive predictive value

ROC:

Receiver operating characteristic

ROI:

Region of interest

SD:

Standard deviation

SpA:

Spondyloarthritis

STIR:

Short tau inversion recovery

TE:

Echo time

TI:

Inversion time

TR:

Repetition time

VNCa:

Virtual non-calcium

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Funding

This research was partially funded by the Young Researchers Grant awarded by the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Ghent University Hospital, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Min Chen, Nele Herregods & Lennart Jans

  2. Department of Radiology & Diagnostic Imaging, University of Alberta Hospital, 8440-112 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2B7, Canada

    Jacob L. Jaremko

  3. Department of Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Philippe Carron, Dirk Elewaut & Filip Van den Bosch

  4. VIB Inflammation Research Center, Unit for Molecular Immunology and Inflammation, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052, Ghent, Belgium

    Philippe Carron, Dirk Elewaut & Filip Van den Bosch

Authors
  1. Min Chen
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  2. Nele Herregods
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  3. Jacob L. Jaremko
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  4. Philippe Carron
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  7. Lennart Jans
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Min Chen.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Lennart Jans.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Statistics and biometry

No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study.

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.

Study subjects or cohorts overlap

None of the study subjects have been previously reported.

Methodology

• Prospective

• Diagnostic or prognostic study

• Performed at one institution

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Chen, M., Herregods, N., Jaremko, J.L. et al. Bone marrow edema in sacroiliitis: detection with dual-energy CT. Eur Radiol 30, 3393–3400 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-06670-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-06670-7

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