Abstract:
The main purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the efficacy and specific properties of MR imaging-guided corticosteroid infiltration of the sacroiliac joints (SIJ) in the treatment of therapy refractory sacroiliitis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
MR imaging-guided corticosteroid infiltration of the SIJ proved to be an effective therapy of inflammatory back pain in patients with therapy refractory AS. With the ability of multiplanar imaging, precise localization of the bone marrow edema and the lack of ionizing radiation interventional MR imaging currently represents the superior method for the treatment of the predominantly young patient group presenting with ankylosing spondylitis. Owing to short intervention times, open MR-Scanners are ideally suited for MR Imaging-guided SIJ-Infiltration.