Macrogeodic coxitis in ankylosing spondylitis

: The authors report 6 cases of hip disease with macrocavities during ankylosing spondylarthritis, including 5 cases from a series of 57 coxites which occurred in 34 patients out of 340 ankylosing spondylarthritis, observed at Hospital Begin, between 1973 and 1982. In light of their observations, they propose a classification of the hip manifestations of ankylosing spondylarthritis. The hip involvement with microcavities in ankylosing spondyloarthritis is quite different from coxites with macrocavities present in rheumatoid polyarthritis, and represent more likely a post-inflammatory arthritic type of hip disease than a particular form of coxitis. Hip disease with macrocavities in ankylosing spondylarthritis is a severe form of hip disease, and frequently requires the installation of a total prosthetic replacement.