Clinical and imaging mimickers of axial spondyloarthritis

The first step in the diagnosis of a patient with suspected axial spondyloarthritis is to differentiate the signs and symptoms of the disease from other disorders, potentially manifesting with similar clinical and imaging features. This review examines diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, osteitis condensans ilii, and other developmental and metabolic disorders that may mimic axial spondyloarthritis, highlighting the diagnostic caveats and discussing shared and distinguishing aspects of these conditions in order to improve the clinician's ability to set them apart.