The association of sacroiliac joint bridging with other enthesopathies in the human body.
METHODS
A descriptive study of the association between sacroiliac joint (extra-articular) bridging and other enthesopathies.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between sacroiliac joint bridging with other entheseal reaction sites in the skeleton, and its prognostic value in spinal diseases.


BACKGROUND
Sacroiliac joint bridging is considered a hallmark of spinal diseases (e.g., ankylosing spondylitis). Nevertheless, its association with other enthesopathies has never been quantified and analyzed.


METHODS
A total of 289 human male skeletons with sacroiliac joint bridging and 127 without (of similar demographic structure) were evaluated for the presence of entheseal ossification, cartilaginous calcification, and other axial skeleton joint fusion (a total of 18 anatomic sites). The presence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and spondyloarthropathy was also recorded.


RESULTS
Sacroiliac joint bridging was strongly associated with entheseal reactions in other parts of the body. Of the sacroiliac joint bridging group, 24.91% had diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, and 8.05% had spondyloarthropathy.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of sacroiliac joint bridging indicates an intensive general entheseal process in the skeleton.
Dar
Gali
G
Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. galidar@yahoo.com
Peleg
Smadar
S
Masharawi
Youssef
Y
Steinberg
Nili
N
Rothschild
Bruce M
BM
Hershkovitz
Israel
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002356:Cartilage / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008022:Ligaments / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009999:Ossification, Heterotopic / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D012446:Sacroiliac Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D013710:Tendons / Q000473:pathology