Study of BoneMRI in SI-joint with University Hospital Ghent published in high impact journal.
Utrecht, December 23rd, 2020 – Radiologist prof. Lennart Jans published the results of a study on BoneMRI that his team performed in the University Hospital Ghent (Belgium) in Radiology, the most prestigious scientific journal in its field. The publication was accompanied by an editorial review of dr. Jan Fritz, radiologist at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine (USA), emphasizing the impact of the technology and the study results.
- Paper Jans et al. – MRI-based Synthetic CT in the Detection of Structural Lesions in Patients with Suspected Sacroiliitis: Comparison with MRI
- Editorial Jan Fritz, MD – Automated and Radiation-Free Generation of Synthetic CT from MRI Data: Does AI Help to Cross the Finish Line?
Prof. Jans evaluated BoneMRI on 30 patients of which 20 had spondyloarthritis, an inflammatory rheumatic disease in the SI-joint of often young adult patients, which causes back pain. In this disease both bone and soft tissue can be affected. Additionally, because of the young age of these patients, radiation reduction is of importance. In the paper Jans concludes that BoneMRI has a better diagnostic performance for these patients than conventional MRI.
In the editorial, dr. Fritz places the results of a study in a broader perspective, stating that for many musculoskeletal indications, having both an MRI and a CT scan would clinically be the best option. Having an MRI-based bone imaging technology offers advantages such as avoiding ionizing radiation and offering improved characterization of, and higher diagnostic accuracy for, a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. Methods available so far have not been able to generate the image quality necessary to offer the required clinical value. The study and technology published changes that. “The case examples impressively show the capability of the synthetic CT images to depict erosions and cortical bone”, dr. Fritz comments.