title: DWI and SPARCC scoring assess curative effect of early ankylosing spondylitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the magnetic diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) sequence and Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) scoring in assessing curative effect of combined treatment of Chinese and Western medicine for early ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
  
  
  METHODS
  48 cases diagnosed as early AS and treated with Chinese and Western medicine were included in the study. Magnetic routine and DWI sequence scanning image were performed to obtain the mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of sub-articular surface bone marrow. Combined with SPARCC scoring, statistical analysis was conducted to compare the difference with the information obtained in the previous study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ADC value in the sub-articular surface bone marrow of patients after clinical treatment: (4.34±0.55)×10-4mm2/s in ilium and (3.96±0.23)×10-4mm2/s in sacrum, which were both significantly lower than that before treatment (p< 0.05). There was highly positive correlation between mean ADC value and SPARCC scoring (P<0.05). The regression relationship could be demonstrated as Y=-64.420+21.262X(Y: SPARCC scoring value; X: mean ADC value).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Magnetic DWI and SPARCC scoring could be applied in accessing AS inflammation activity changes and in reflect of curative effect of early AS patients as well as in providing reliable radiologist evidence for clinical therapeutic efficacy.
authors.affiliation: , Division of Radiology, Taishan Medical School Affiliated Hospital, Taian, Shandong Province 271000, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: , Division of Radiology, Taishan Medical School Affiliated Hospital, Taian, Shandong Province 271000, China.
authors.forename: Jianzhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: , Division of Radiology, Taishan Medical School Affiliated Hospital, Taian, Shandong Province 271000, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: , Division of Radiology, Taishan Medical School Affiliated Hospital, Taian, Shandong Province 271000, China.
authors.forename: Changqin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Magnetic resonance; ankylosing spondylitis; curative effect; diffusion weighted image; scoring