On structural spinal damage in patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis

Abstract

A hallmark of the disease axial spondyloarthritis, especially the radiographic form, is the syndesmophyte. This bony proliferation forms on the vertebral edges and grows in the direction of the adjacent vertebra and, once reaching this, causes rigidity in the spine. This thesis focusses on the syndesmophyte and on, seemingly related, osteoproliferation in the facet joints and aims to understand how these two lesions develop and interact.