Practical Guidelines for Radiological Investigation Methods in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis

Abstract

Radiological examination remains the "gold standard" for instrumental diagnosis of the most common immunoinflammatory rheumatic diseases – rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This publication discusses the indications and methodological aspects of performing standard radiography of the musculoskeletal system in RA and AS. It also describes the main radiological symptoms, methods for assessing the staging of the disease (according to O. Steinbrocker and J. Kellgren), methods for assessing radiological progression: in RA – according to J.T. Sharp/D.M. van der Heijde and A. Larsen, in AS – mSASSS, RASSS, BASRI.