title: Novel imaging modalities in spondyloarthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The role of imaging in the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) has become dramatically more important with the introduction of new therapies such as tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors. In the current review, contemporary perspectives on developments and advancements in the field of SpA imaging along with several novel imaging techniques for the diagnosis and follow-up of SpA will be discussed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No new imaging modalities have been introduced in the last decade. However, new advances and improvements within the known modalities are constantly being presented and tested. Such advances include the use of contrast material and sonoelastography in the ultrasound evaluation of enthesitis, hybridization of PET imaging with computed tomography and MRI for the evaluation of the axial and peripheral skeleton, as well as advances within MRI such as whole-body MRI and diffusion-weighted sequences. These techniques will be presented and their advantages and disadvantages will be critically discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Promising new techniques in the field of SpA imaging are constantly emerging. The benefits and advantages of the presented techniques over the known ones need further validation.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Diagnostic Imaging, Sheba Medical Center, Affiliated to the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel bDepartment of Radiology, Charité Medical School, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Eshed
authors.forename: Kay-Geert A
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Hermann
mesh_terms: D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D025241:Spondylarthritis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods