Bone scintigraphy in tuberculous spondylodiscitis

Tuberculous affection of the spine can present in different ways. Plain radiographs may fail to show any abnormality. Bone scintigraphy can be a very useful tool in the diagnosis and management of patients with tuberculous spondylodiscitis. This is a retrospective study of 40 patients in whom bone s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European spine journal 1999-06, Vol.8 (3), p.205-209
Main Authors: Pandit, H G, Sonsale, P D, Shikare, S S, Bhojraj, S Y
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Bone and Bones - diagnostic imaging
Discitis - diagnostic imaging
Discitis - pathology
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Original
Radiography
Radionuclide Imaging
Retrospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity
Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
Tuberculosis, Spinal - diagnostic imaging
Tuberculosis, Spinal - pathology
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Summary:Tuberculous affection of the spine can present in different ways. Plain radiographs may fail to show any abnormality. Bone scintigraphy can be a very useful tool in the diagnosis and management of patients with tuberculous spondylodiscitis. This is a retrospective study of 40 patients in whom bone scan was performed using 99mTc-MDP (technetium methylene diphosphonate) before starting anti-tuberculous therapy or any surgical intervention. Four different types of uptake were noted. The uptake was abnormal in 38 out of 40 patients, giving a sensitivity of 95%. Multicentricity was picked up in 25% of cases. No skull lesion was noticed in any of these patients. Rib lesions were found in six patients (ten ribs affected). The rib lesion was always a typical band pattern. This paper outlines the advantages as well as limitations of bone scan in tuberculous affection of the spine.
ISSN:0940-6719
1432-0932
DOI:10.1007/s005860050159