Objectives: To evaluate, through ocular B-mode ultrasonography, the presence of vitritis and its complications in patients with radiographic and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, comparing with clinical, laboratory and ophthalmological examination aspects.

Methods: Observational and cross-sectional study, in 30 patients selected from the Rheumatology outpatient clinic of the PUC Hospital in Campinas, SP, Brazil, who met the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society criteria, from August to December 2021, was evaluated 60 eyes using high-frequency ultrasound, semi-quantitatively classifying vitritis in 0 to 3 degrees, that is, absence, mild, moderate and severe disorder, respectively.

Results: Patients with a mean age of 46.3 ± 13 years, male (63.3%), white (66.7%), diagnosed with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (80.0%) and with disease duration of more than 5 years (63.3%). Ocular ultrasound showed vitritis in 62.5%, but without statistically significant difference. There was a statistically significant difference in the presence of cataracts and optic nerve thickening with p=0.037 and p=0.007, respectively.

Conclusion: We observed a significant percentage of chronic inflammatory processes in the vitreous humor on ultrasound in patients with spondyloarthritis in inflammatory activity, as well as some complications of chronic uveal inflammatory process, characterized by cataracts and optic nerve enlargement. In the future, B-mode ultrasound may be an adjuvant tool in the ophthalmological evaluation of patients with axial spondyloarthritis and ocular alterations.

Keywords: Vitritis; Uveitis; B-mode ultrasound; Spondylarthritis