Spondylodiscitis pet

Spondylodiscitis, characterized by inflammation of the intervertebral disc and adjacent vertebral bodies, presents a diagnostic challenge due to its nonspecific clinical manifestations and variable imaging findings. This review examines the role of PET-CT with FDG, in the evaluation of spondylodiscitis, focusing on its utility in diagnosis, assessment of disease extent, treatment response monitoring, and prognostication. FDG PET-CT, by combining metabolic and anatomical imaging modalities, offers superior sensitivity and specificity compared to conventional imaging techniques in detecting infectious foci, distinguishing between infection and post-treatment changes, and identifying occult sources of infection...

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Cross-modality image generation from magnetic resonance (MR) to positron emission tomography (PET) using the generative model can be expected to have complementary effects by addressing the limitations and maximizing the advantages inherent in each modality. PURPOSE: This study aims to generate synthetic PET/MR fusion images from MR images using a combination of generative adversarial networks (GANs) and conditional denoising diffusion probabilistic models (cDDPMs) based on simultaneous 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/MR image data...

A 57-year-old man presented with odynophagia for 1 week was referred for FDG PET/CT scan to rule out recurrent hypopharyngeal cancer. The FDG PET/CT showed hypermetabolic lesions in hypopharyngeal area and adjacent cervical spine with pneumorrhachis, the presence of intraspinal air, on attenuation CT images, which might indicate a life-threatening infection. An emergency MRI confirmed the presence of cervical spondylodiscitis with an epidural abscess. The patient rapidly progressed to quadriplegia and difficulty voiding on the same day as the PET/CT scan, leading to emergent operation...

A 72-year-old man underwent right hemicolectomy for transverse colon cancer(pT4aN1aM0, Stage ⅢB), after which he received adjuvant chemotherapy(capecitabine plus oxaliplatin[CAPOX])for 6 months. Three years after the first surgery, FDG-PET/CT revealed a tumor in the abdomen. He underwent a tumorectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy(CAPOX plus bevacizumab[BV])performed for 6 months. Two years after a tumorectomy, the CEA level rose again. He was diagnosed peritoneal metastasis again. A central venous(CV)port was implanted for access to the right internal jugular vein, and he received systemic chemotherapy(fluorouracil, Leucovorin, and irinotecan[FOLFIRI]plus BV)as an outpatient...

Nuclear medicine has become an indispensable discipline in the diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal infections. Radionuclide tests serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for patients suspected of having osteomyelitis, spondylodiscitis, or prosthetic joint infections. The choice of the most suitable imaging modality depends on various factors, including the affected area, potential extra osseous involvement, or the impact of previous bone/joint conditions. This review provides an update on the use of conventional radionuclide imaging tests and recent advancements in fusion imaging scans for the differential diagnosis of musculoskeletal infections...

Aspergillus osteomyelitis is a rare complication of extrapulmonary invasive aspergillosis, which usually presents as spondylodiscitis. The clinical picture is usually paucisymptomatic and of long evolution, which leads to diagnostic difficulties, especially in immunosuppressed patients presenting a delayed systemic host response. We report a case of femoral osteomyelitis caused by Aspergillus granulosus in a heart transplant recipient successfully treated with a combined surgical and antifungal approach. A 65-year-old heart transplant male presented with left knee pain lasting 3 months...

We report a [68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan of a 71-year-old man with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and concomitant active lumbar spondylodiscitis, both PSMA-positive on a PET/CT scan. This interesting image should advise colleagues to consider spondylodiscitis as a differential diagnosis of PSMA-positive findings in the spine, particularly if intervertebral space and soft tissue are involved.

Musculoskeletal disorders of nononcological origin are one of the most frequent reasons for consultation. Patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders also consult more than once for the same reason. This results in multiple clinical follow-ups after several radiological and serum examinations, the main ones including X-rays targeting the painful anatomical region and inflammatory serum parameters. As part of their work up, patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders often require multisequence, multi-parameter MRI...

Vertebral osteomyelitis is the third most common form of osteomyelitis in patients over 50 years of age.Whereas prompt (pathogen-directed) therapy is crucially associated with better outcomes, the heterogeneous clinical presentation of disease with unspecific symptoms often delays adequate treatment initiation. Diagnosis requires a careful investigation of medical history, clinical findings and diagnostic imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear medicine techniques.Due to its high sensitivity, [18 F]FDG PET/CT is becoming increasingly important in diagnosis and management of spondylodiscitis, especially in the postoperative setting with presence of spinal hardware or other implantable devices in which MRI is limited...

The incidence of cardiac device-related endocarditis (CDRIE) is increasing, and its diagnosis and treatment may occasionally be problematic. Echocardiography is important for its diagnosis, and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) may also be useful as a diagnostic procedure. A case of CDRIE due to an infected pacemaker is presented. In this case, blood cultures were repeatedly negative, and transesophageal ultrasound examination did not reveal signs of the disease...

OBJECTIVE: Response of pyogenic spine infection to antibiotic therapy is usually based on nonspecific symptoms and inflammation markers. Abnormalities on MRI persist too long to influence therapy. Is FDG-PET/CT a timely and robust predictor of successful therapy? MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study. Sequential FDG-PET/CTs done to assess treatment response over a 4-year period. Recurrence of infection after stopping treatment was the endpoint. RESULTS: One hundred seven patients enrolled...

Vertebral osteomyelitis is the third most common form of osteomyelitis in patients over 50 years of age.Whereas prompt (pathogen-directed) therapy is crucially associated with better outcomes, the heterogeneous clinical presentation of disease with unspecific symptoms often delays adequate treatment initiation. Diagnosis requires a careful investigation of medical history, clinical findings and diagnostic imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear medicine techniques.Due to its high sensitivity, [18 F]FDG PET/CT is becoming increasingly important in diagnosis and management of spondylodiscitis, especially in the postoperative setting with presence of spinal hardware or other implantable devices in which MRI is limited...

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Native Vertebral Osteomyelitis (NVO) is a severe infection with an increasing incidence globally. Although there is no widely agreed upon reference standard for diagnosis of the disease, imaging plays a crucial role. MRI is currently the imaging modality of choice. In recent years, advances in imaging have allowed for a larger role for alternative imaging techniques in the setting of NVO. PURPOSE: Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of MRI, PET/CT, and nuclear imaging, namely 67 Gallium and 99m Technetium scintigraphy, in the diagnosis of pyogenic NVO...

A 54-year-old man, with previous history of neurogenic heterotopic ossification (HO) in muscles around the left hip following a spinal cord injury ten months earlier, was referred to our nuclear medicine center for an 18 fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to rule out a spondylodiscitis. No sign of spondylodiscitis was found on 18 F-FDG PET/CT, but images revealed an increased 18 F-FDG uptake in HO areas, matching with ongoing osteoblastic activity on a following bone scan...

Spine infection is both a clinical and diagnostic imaging challenge due to its relatively indolent and nonspecific clinical presentation. The diagnosis of spine infection is based upon a combination of clinical suspicion, imaging evaluation and, when possible, microbiologic confirmation performed from blood cultures or image-guided percutaneous or open spine biopsy. With respect to the imaging evaluation of suspected spine infection, MRI without and with contrast of the affected spine segment is the initial diagnostic test of choice...

A 59-year old female presented with a lump in the right breast for 6 months. She developed progressively increasing backache for 3 months. Magnetic resonance imaging spine was suggestive of hypointense heterogeneous signal intensity in multiple dorsal vertebrae (D3-D8) and suggestive of Pott's spine. Sonomammography suggested a lesion with irregular margin in the retro-areolar region. Fine-needle aspiration cytology was infiltrating duct carcinoma. Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron-emission tomography-computed tomography revealed mass in the right breast with axillary lymph node...

Spondylodiscitis is an infectious process that requires numerous health care professionals to be clearly diagnosed and eventually successfully treated. It implies a variety of microbiological agents and conditions; during the diagnostic workup, it is difficult to correctly identify them, and the clinician has to rapidly choose the correct treatment to avoid permanent injuries to the patient. In this context, we conducted a review to better understand the most suitable use of Positron Emission Tomography with 18-Fluoro-deossi-glucose (FDG PET) in a patient suspected of spondylodiscitis, based on current guidelines and literature...

CASE: An 83-year-old man suffered progressive lower back pain 4 weeks after an endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) procedure. Computed tomography showed L4 vertebral body collapse and abnormal soft tissue-like density swelling with increased uptake on 18F-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT. Listeria monocytogenes was identified from ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration. Ultrasound-guided drainage of the retroperitoneal abscess and intravenous antibiotic therapy with ampicillin and gentamicin resulted in the rapid relief of symptoms...

A non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) was responsible for an invasive infection including bacteremia, spondylodiscitis with epidural abscess, and periprosthetic hip infection in a 79-year-old woman, triggered by a superinfected ethmo-orbital mucocele. Surgical drainage and antibiotic therapy allowed recovery. PET-scan full cartography of NTHi infection dissemination enabled the discovery of spondylodiscitis. This rare cause of spondylodiscitis and periprosthetic joint infection suggests a complete work-up is unavoidable...

BACKGROUND: A definitive diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis (TB) remains challenging. The "gold standard" is to obtain histopathological confirmation of the lesion. This analysis highlights how to avoid missing the diagnosis of an extramedullary myeloid sarcoma (EMS) versus TB. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 25-year-old male presented with paraparesis. Although this was first attributed to TB spondylodiscitis, a PET-CT and reevaluation of the biopsy specimen both confirmed the diagnosis of an EMS...