Doppler ultrasound – a valid and reliable tool to assess spondyloarthritis

Enthesitis is the hallmark of spondyloarthritis and isobserved in all subtypes. Namely, a wide informationon spondyloarthritis abnormalities, including synovitis,bursitis, tendinitis, enthesitis and cortical boneabnor malities (erosions and enthesophytes), can be effi -ciently perceived by ultrasound power Doppler. Furthermore,several studies on imaging of enthesisshowed that imaging techniques are better than clinicalexamination to detect pathology at asymptomaticenthesis. Vascularized enthesitis detected by ultrasoundpower Doppler appears to be a valuable diagnostic toolto confirm spondyloarthritis diagnosis. This article focuseson the validity and reliability of ultrasound enthesitisassessment in the management of spondyloarthritispatients.