Diagnostic value of FRLs in SpA
| Sensitivity (95% CI) | Specificity (95% CI) | PPV (95% CI) | NPV (95% CI) | Positive likelihood ratio (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRLs>0 | |||||
| SpA | 0.33 (0.21 to 0.48) | 0.93 (0.86 to 0.97) | 0.69 (0.48 to 0.85) | 0.74 (0.66 to 0.81) | 4.71 (2.19 to 10.14) |
| DA | 0.13 (0.05 to 0.28) | 0.83 (0.76 to 0.89) | 0.19 (0.07 to 0.40) | 0.75 (0.67 to 0.82) | 0.76 (0.30 to 1.87) |
| Malignancy | 0.02 (0.00 to 0.14) | 0.80 (0.71 to 0.86) | 0.04 (0.00 to 0.22) | 0.70 (0.61 to 0.77) | 0.11 (0.02 to 0.80) |
| FRLs>5 | |||||
| SpA | 0.22 (0.12 to 0.36) | 0.98 (0.93 to 1.00) | 0.86 (0.56 to 0.97) | 0.73 (0.65 to 0.79) | 12.56 (2.91 to 54.14) |
| DA | 0.03 (0.00 to 0.15) | 0.90 (0.83 to 0.94) | 0.07 (0.04 to 0.36) | 0.75 (0.67 to 0.81) | 0.24 (0.03 to 1.81) |
| Malignancy | 0.00 (0.00 to 0.10) | 0.89 (0.81 to 0.93) | 0.00 (0.00 to 0.27) | 0.71 (0.63 to 0.78) | Incalculable |
DA, degenerative arthritis of the spine; FRLs, fatty Romanus lesions—that is, well-demarcated triangular lesions high signal on T1 SE weighted images and suppressed on STIR sequences, present on at least one sagittal slice on potentially any corner of any vertebrae from lower C2 to upper S1; Malignancy, spinal malignancy; NPV, negative predictive values; PPV, positive predictive values; SpA, spondyloarthropathy.