The radiographic classification and presentations of atypical spinal tuberculosis / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the radiographic classification and presentation of atypical spinal tuberculosis in adults.Methods Data of 45 consecutive patients who had suffered from atypical spinal tuberculosis confirmed by surgical interventions and pathologic examinations at our department from February 2000 to August 2012 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 29 males and 16 females,aged from 20 to 71 years (mean,46.2 years).Twenty-five patients presented with low-grade fever,lassitude and loss of weight,and the other 20 patients denied the constitutional symptoms of tuberculosis.An increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (range,25-107 mm/1 h) was found in 37 patients.All patients were investigated by the following imaging resourcesplain X-rays,CT scan and MRI.3D reconstruction CT was performed in 12 patients and PET-CT was performed in 2 patients.All patients were treated surgically and confirmed by pathologic examinations and 3 patients had undergone CT-guided biopsy.Results Atypical spinal tuberculosis presented in different radiographic presentation forms.Nine patients had involvement of a single vertebral body,which was depicted with nonuniformly increased signal intensity on T2-weighted MR images.CT scan showed irregular bony destruction in old patients and solitary osteolytic lesion with well-defined margins in young adults.There were 2 cases of isolated affection in the posterior elements (vertebral appendages type),and the involved vertebral appendages demonstrated hyperintense signal on T2-weighted MR images and bony destruction on CT scan.There were 8 cases of simultaneous affection in the anterior and posterior element of one vertebra (circumferential vertebral involvement type),and CT scan showed multiple bony destruction in vertebral body and neural arch.There were 5 cases of affection in disc (intervertebral disc involvement type),which presented decreased signal in MRI and protruding disc pressing the dural sac could be found.There were 14 cases of multiple vertebral tuberculosis in continuity (contiguous spinal tuberculosis),which presented multiple tuberculosis lesions on 3D-CT.There were 7 cases of multiple vertebral tuberculosis in noncontinuity (noncontiguous spinal tuberculosis),which presented destructive tubercular lesions affected different levels in different regions of the spine on MRI.Conclusion Atypical spinal tuberculosis had multiply radiographic presentation forms and atypical radiographic features.Worm-eaten destruction of bone or vertebral endplate,marrow edema and increased signal intensity of paraspinal ligament are features of radiographic presentation in diagnosis of atypical spinal tuberculosis.