SPONDYLODISCITIS DIAGNOSTICS IN NOWADAYS: BASIC CT AND MRI SIGNS

Abstract

For many reasons spondylodiscitis (SDC) is a complicated pathology. It is caused by difficulty in early diagnostics, the need for surgical treatment (including repeated interventions), long term and high cost of antibiotic therapy. Objective. The goal is to identify and describe the main CT and MRI symptoms of SDC, to assess their frequency and specificity. The next aim is to note the peculiarities of the radiologist’s practice with such patients. Materials and methods. We studied the data of 25 patients with proved SDC, and we analyzed CT and MRI symptoms (both common and rare), and the role of contrast enhancement (СE) in both methods and important clinical and laboratory aspects. Results.The infiltration of vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs were the most frequent SDC signs, abscesses also were very common. The most significant type of abscess was epidural which led to the formation of vertebral canal stenosis and to neurological deficit. The important methodological aspects of the MRI study were noted to improve its quality. Conclusion. We recommend performing both CT and MRI, if possible, for all patients with SDC because of the different diagnostic tasks that are important for clinicians.CE significantly increases the MRI informativity.