High Resolution Imaging of the Sacroiliac Joints in Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients at 7 Tesla

Maartje E. Vossen¹, Wouter M. Teeuwisse¹, Monique Reijnierse¹, Desiree M. van Der Heijde², Nadine B. Smith¹, Andrew G. Webb¹

High spatial resolution images of the SI joints have been acquired at 7 Tesla in both volunteers and patients sufferenting from sacroilitis. Very small cortical erosions can be visualized with an in-plane resolution of 0.5 x .5 mm. Water/fat imaging using a three-point Dixon method was shown to differentiate between fatty infiltration and edema in a second patient.