Atteintes vertébrales du SAPHO

The SAPHO syndrome: a single-center study of 41 adult patients

OBJECTIVE

The SAPHO syndrome (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis) is a rare disease and only a few series have been published about it. We describe the experience of a rheumatology department with a focus on the therapeutic aspects.

METHODS

All cases of SAPHO fulfilling the Benhamou criteria and seen between 1992 and 2013 in our unit were retrospectively included.

RESULTS

Forty-one patients (11 men and 30 women) were included. The average age was 45 years (20-80 yrs) at the time of diagnosis. Nineteen patients had palmoplantar pustulosis, 3 had psoriasis vulgaris, 3 had severe acne, and 15 had no dermatological involvement. Bone symptoms involved mainly the anterior chest wall (n = 28, 68%), followed by the spine (n = 16, 39%) and sacroiliac joints (n = 12, 29%). Four patients had peripheral osteitis and 2 had mandibular osteitis. Ten patients had peripheral arthritis affecting mainly the knees and wrists. None of the 36 patients tested was HLA-B27-positive. At least a partial response was achieved with colchicine, methotrexate, or sulfasalazine in 0/6, 2/4, and 1/6 of patients, respectively. Antibiotic therapy (azithromycin, n = 7; doxycycline, n = 2) was effective in 2/9 patients. Pamidronate was prescribed in 26 patients with bone involvement and 18/22 patients evaluable at 6 months responded to this therapy. Two patients were treated with tumor necrosis factor blockers: 1 with infliximab and 1 with adalimumab, followed by etanercept.

CONCLUSION

Based on our experience, SAPHO can be diagnosed in the elderly. It was not associated with HLA-B27. Soft tissue involvement was common and the bisphosphonates were generally effective on bone involvement.

[SAPHO syndrome]

SAPHO (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis) syndrome is a rare entity characterized by the association of heterogeneous osteoarticular and cutaneous manifestations that have for common denominator an aseptic inflammatory process. The etiopathogeny of this disease is still a matter of debate. Although it has been related to the spondylarthritis family, an infectious origin is suggested. Diagnosis is based on the presence of at least one of the three diagnostic criteria proposed by Kahn. The treatment includes NSAIDs, antibiotics, corticosteroids, methotrexate and more recently the bisphosphonates and the TNFα inhibitors.

Traps in spinal MR imaging

There are many traps in spinal MRI in part related to the technique but also due to the existence of anatomical variations, lesions which are difficult to confirm because of non-specific signs, and sometimes rare conditions.