Abstract
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, [18F]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.
Keywords
spondylodiscitis - FDG-PET/CT - molecular imaging - osteomyelitis - spine