Open AccessClinical characteristics of infectious spondylodiscitis
Author(s) -
Aleksandar Knežević,
Vesna Turkulov,
Ksenija Bošković,
Aleksandar Klašnja,
Snežana Tomašević-Todorović,
Gordana Devečerski
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
medicinski pregled
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1820-7383
pISSN - 0025-8105
DOI - 10.2298/mpns0910435k
Subject(s) - spondylodiscitis , medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , back pain , spondylitis , intervertebral disk , disease , radiology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , surgery , pathology , lumbar , alternative medicine , ankylosing spondylitis
Spondylodiscitis represents an inflammatory process, localized in the vertebrae body and in the intervertebral discs. The goals of this research were to identify subjective complaints, clinical findings, and laboratory characteristics in patients with spondylodiscitis, as well as to establish the importance of magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosing this disease. The data of 40 patients treated at the Clinic for Infectious diseases of the Clinical Center of Vojvodina from 2003 till 2007 were reviewed. Majority of the patients had low back pain (90%). Fever was present in 37.5% of patients (chi2 = 2.5; p > 0.05). Laboratory parameters of inflammation were higher than normal in most of the patients before the treatment. Diagnosis of spondylodiscitis was made using MRI in 97.5% of the patients. Keeping in mind unspecific subjective complaints and clinical findings in patients with spondylodiscitis, a health professional should always suspect spondylodiscitis when back pain occurs, in order to diagnose and treat this severe disease as early as possible. Magnetic resonance imaging is the most advantageous method in diagnosing spondylodiscitis.