MRI scores of sacroiliac joints, spine, enthesitis and posterior segments of the spine at baseline, week 24 and at week 48 in the etanercept versus sulfasalazine treatment group
| Parameters assessed | Time | Etanercept group (n=40) | Sulfasalazine group (n=36) | p Value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRI sacroiliac joint score (0–24), mean (SD) | Baseline† | 7.8 (6.3) | 5.4 (5.1) | |
| Week 24 | 3.1 (3.6) | 3.7 (3.2) | 0.006 | |
| Week 48 | 2.4 (3.2) | 3.5 (3.8) | 0.02 | |
| MRI spine score (0–69), mean (SD) | Baseline† | 2.3 (3.5) | 1.4 (3.1) | |
| Week 24 | 1.4 (3.1) | 1.5 (3.1) | 0.03 | |
| Week 48 | 1.0 (2.1) | 1.3 (2.9) | 0.01 | |
| MRI enthesitis‡ | Baseline† | 26 sites (in 15 patients) | 24 sites (in 16 patients) | |
| Week 24 | 22 sites (in 12 patients) | 23 sites (in 14 patients) | 0.67 | |
| Week 48 | 11 sites (in 11 patients) | 26 sites (in 14 patients) | 0.04 | |
| MRI posterior segments of the spine | Baseline† | 37 sites (in 9 patients) | 18 sites (in 4 patients) | |
| Week 24 | 30 sites (in 4 patients) | 13 sites (in 2 patients) | 0.78 | |
| Week 48 | 26 sites (in 2 patients) | 13 sites (in 1 patient) | 0.92 |
↵* p Values for comparison of changes in the MRI scores between both groups by analysis of covariance.
↵† No significant differences at baseline between etanercept and sulfasalazine: sacroiliac joints (p=0.06), spine (p=0.09), enthesitis (p=0.50), posterior segments (p=0.25).
↵‡ Only active osteitis (hyperintense bone signal in the STIR sequence) was scored as enthesitis.