Abstract
A 61-year-old male patient with microbiological diagnosis of L3-L4 spondylodiscitis and persist pain underwent a (67)Ga scintigraphic study to assess the antibiotic treatment response. Pathological uptake foci in vertebral bodies of L2 and L4 were observed in the (67)Ga planar scintigraphy. A SPECT low-dose CT of the lumbar spine was performed as part of anatomical correlated protocol, detecting an active spondylodiscitis in L3-L4 and a second uptake foci in L2 that was identify as a Schmorl's node. In this case the SPECT-CT hybrid image allowed us to avoid a false positive diagnosis to by locate and characterize an image with abnormal uptake of (67)Ga, improving the test specificity and avoiding a wrong diagnosis.
MeSH terms
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Diagnostic Errors / prevention & control
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Discitis / complications
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Discitis / diagnostic imaging*
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Discitis / microbiology
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Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
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Gallium Radioisotopes
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Humans
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Incidental Findings
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Intervertebral Disc Displacement / complications
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Intervertebral Disc Displacement / diagnostic imaging*
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Lumbar Vertebrae / diagnostic imaging*
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Lumbar Vertebrae / microbiology
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Sensitivity and Specificity
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Staphylococcal Infections / complications
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Staphylococcal Infections / diagnostic imaging*
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Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology
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Staphylococcus epidermidis / drug effects
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Staphylococcus epidermidis / isolation & purification*
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Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*
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Tomography, X-Ray Computed*