ABSTRACT

Spinal infections are important problems that occur due to various factors, show different pathological processes, cause pain, spinal compression and neurological deficit, and lead to high morbidity and mortality. Scanning methods provide great facilities in the diagnosis and monitoring of these infections. MRI is quite sensitive in evaluating spinal infections. However, they may remain incapable in certain cases. Nuclear medicine imaging techniques can be used in the cases where MRI remains incapable. Three patients that have presented to our clinic with the prediagnosis of infection were evaluated by F18-FDG PET-CT and 3-phase bone scintigraphy-SPECT-CT to make definite diagnosis and for treatment monitoring. By means of these cases, we demonstrated that PET-CT, which is an adjuvant method to MRI, can be used in making diagnosis as well as in evaluating the extent of infection, residual disease, response to treatment and duration of treatment in spinal infections where MRI remains incapable.