• A 54-year-old man

  • Acute low back pain

  • Dorsal and lumbar stiffness

  • Presence of HLA-B27

Fig. 1
figure 1

Sagittal TSE T2-weighted image with fat saturation (a), sagittal SE T1-weighted images with fat saturation following the administration of contrast medium (b, c). Insufficiency fractures (Andersson II lesion) of the ankylosed spine, as a consequence of chronic spondylodiscitis. The fracture of the vertebral body at L1 presents diffuse edema (a–c, arrow). An older fracture is seen at D10, with no edema of the vertebral body (a, b, asterisk); an aseptic discitis is associated at D9/D10. Such fractures of the ankylosed spine occur spontaneously or after minor trauma, frequently in conjunction with osteoporosis

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