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The 2025 ASAS–SPARTAN Classification Criteria for Axial Spondyloarthritis

About this Video Lesson

The revised 2025 ASAS–SPARTAN classification criteria mark a major shift in how axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is classified, placing greater emphasis on imaging and clearly distinguishing diagnosis from classification.

In this lecture, Prof. Denis Poddubnyy explains the rationale behind the revision, the findings of the CLASSIC study, and the key differences from the original 2009 criteria. Particular attention is given to the growing importance of structural MRI lesions, the limitations of bone marrow edema as an isolated finding, and the need for appropriate MRI protocols. Practical examples highlight how to distinguish inflammatory sacroiliitis from mechanical changes and common mimics.

Learning Objectives

After completing this lecture, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the key changes introduced in the 2025 ASAS–SPARTAN classification criteria compared with the 2009 criteria.
  • Distinguish between clinical diagnosis and classification of axial spondyloarthritis.
  • Understand the increased importance of imaging, particularly MRI findings combining active inflammation and structural lesions.
  • Recognize the limitations of bone marrow edema and differentiate inflammatory sacroiliitis from mechanical changes and common mimics.
  • Identify the essential components of an appropriate MRI protocol for evaluating the sacroiliac joints.

Video playtime

26:49

Authors

Denis Poddubnyy, MD, MSc

Denis Poddubnyy, MD, MSc

Denis Poddubnyy, MD, PhD, MSc (Epi), is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. In 2008, he completed his PhD thesis on cardiovascular pathology in ankylosing spondylitis. In 2013, he completed his postdoctoral thesis (Habilitation) focusing on the prediction and prevention of disease progression in early axial spondyloarthritis. He earned a Master’s degree in Epidemiology from the Institute of Public Health in Berlin in 2016. That same year, he was appointed Professor and Head of Rheumatology at Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany, and served as the leader of the "Spondyloarthritis" research group at the German Rheumatology Research Centre (DRFZ). In July 2024, he was appointed to a full-time clinical academic position in the Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, with the rank of Professor, and as a Senior Scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute of the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada. He serves as Director of the Advanced Imaging Program, and Co-Director of both the Psoriatic Arthritis Program and the Clinical Trial Unit. Since 2003, his research has focused on the early diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of patients with spondyloarthritis, including psoriatic arthritis. Dr. Poddubnyy is a member of the Executive Committee of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) and a member of the Steering Committee, as well as the Research and Publication Committees, of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA). He also serves on the Research Committee of the Spondyloarthritis Research and Treatment Network (SPARTAN). He is the author of more than 300 publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.

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The 2025 ASAS–SPARTAN Classification Criteria for Axial Spondyloarthritis

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