Background/Aims@#
Sacroiliitis is a frequent extraintestinal manifestation of
inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). This study aimed to assess the
prevalence of
sacroiliitis using a validated
screening tool based on abdominopelvic computed
tomography (APCT) in Korean
patients with Crohn’s
disease (CD) and examine potential
associations between clinical characteristics and
sacroiliitis. @*
Methods@#One hundred five
patients with CD undergoing APCT for any indication at an IBD clinic were matched 11 for age and
sex with 105 controls without underlying
chronic illnesses. Using a validated APCT
screening tool that defines
sacroiliitis as either
ankylosis or a total
erosion score (TES) ≥ 3, all computed
tomography scans were assessed by two independent, blinded
radiologists. We compared the
prevalence of
sacroiliitis between CD
patients and controls and clinical characteristics between CD
patients with and without
sacroiliitis. @*Results@#The
prevalence of
sacroiliitis was significantly higher in CD
patients than in controls (13.3% vs. 4.8%, p = 0.030). All subjects with
sacroiliitis had a TES ≥ 3, but no
ankylosis. The assessment of
sacroiliitis in APCT showed excellent interreader reliability (Cohen’s kappa = 0.933 for presence of
sacroiliitis).
Sacroiliitis in CD
patients was bilateral and asymptomatic. There were no significant
associations between
sacroiliitis and any
demographic data or clinical characteristics in these
patients. @*Conclusions@#The
prevalence of APCT-detected
sacroiliitis in CD
patients was higher than that in controls, but the condition was asymptomatic. The
clinical significance of asymptomatic
sacroiliitis in Korean CD
patients remains unclear.