查看文章

Differentiation between tuberculous and pyogenic spondylodiscitis is a diagnostic challenge because imaging often does not reliably distinguish the 2 entities and percutaneous biopsies are often culture-negative. The purpose of this study was to determine whether violation of the anterior meningovertebral ligament in the setting of anterior epidural abscess discriminates between these entities.

This was a retrospective cohort study of all patients with acid-fast bacillus testing and anterior epidural abscess diagnosed on spinal MR imaging between May 2014 and September 2019, with a final diagnosis of tuberculous or pyogenic spondylodiscitis. Six cases of tuberculous spondylodiscitis (mean age, 45.5 years; 80% male) and 35 cases of pyogenic spondylodiscitis were evaluated (mean age, 56.6 years; 49% male). Demographic characteristics were …