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Syndesmophytes: osseous excrescences or bony outgrowths from the spinal ligaments as they attach to adjacent vertebral bodies. In psoriasis and in Reiter\'s syndrome, they often are massive and bridge adjacent vertebrae asymmetrically. In these diseases they appear to arise from a broad zone on the vertebrae, and tend to spare the anterior surfaces of the vertebrae (non-marginal syndesmophytes). In ankylosing spondylitis, however, the syndesmophytes (marginal) tend to be thinner, more vertical, and symmetrical, involving anterior as well as the lateral vertebral body margins. The disc space is often narrowed, and vertebral bodies may show anterior end plate erosions and appear to lose the normal anterior concavity (squaring).
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