{"title":"PET/CT and SPECT/CT for Infection in Joints and Bones: An Overview and Future Directions","authors":"Kgomotso M.G. Mokoala MD, PhD , Honest Ndlovu MD , Ismaheel Lawal MD, PhD , Mike Machaba Sathekge MD, PhD","doi":"10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2023.10.007","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Infections of the bones and joints, if misdiagnosed, may result in serious morbidity and even mortality. A prompt diagnosis followed by appropriate management may reduce the socioeconomic impact of bone and joint infections. Morphologic imaging such as ultrasound and plain radiographs form the first line investigations, however, in early infections findings may be negative or nonspecific. Nuclear medicine imaging techniques play a complementary role to morphologic imaging in the diagnosis of bone and joint infections. The availability of hybrid systems (SPECT/CT, SPECT/MRI, PET/CT or PET/MRI) offers improved specificity with ability to assess the extent of infection. Bone scans are useful as a gatekeeper wherein negative scans rule out sepsis with a good accuracy, however positive scans are nondiagnostic and more specific tracers should be considered. These include the use of labeled white blood cells and antigranulocyte antibodies. Various qualitative and quantitative interpretation criteria have been suggested to improve the specificity of the scans. PET has better image resolution and <sup>18</sup>F-FDG is the major tracer for PET imaging with applications in oncology and inflammatory/infective disorders. It has demonstrated improved sensitivity over the SPECT based tracers, however, still suffers from lack of specificity. <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET has been used to monitor therapy in bone and joint infections. Other less studied, noncommercialized SPECT and PET tracers such as <sup>111</sup>In-Biotin, <sup>99m</sup>Tc-Ubiquicidin, <sup>18</sup>F-Na-Fluoride, <sup>18</sup>F-labeled white blood cells and <sup>124</sup>I-Fialuridine to name a few have shown great promise, however, their role in various bone and joint infections has not been established. Hybrid imaging with PET or PET/MRI offers huge potential for improving diagnostics in infections of the joints and bones.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21643,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in nuclear medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001299823000879/pdfft?md5=000269a7f09b331b3498085f8cb0657e&pid=1-s2.0-S0001299823000879-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Seminars in nuclear medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001299823000879","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"RADIOLOGY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MEDICAL IMAGING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Infections of the bones and joints, if misdiagnosed, may result in serious morbidity and even mortality. A prompt diagnosis followed by appropriate management may reduce the socioeconomic impact of bone and joint infections. Morphologic imaging such as ultrasound and plain radiographs form the first line investigations, however, in early infections findings may be negative or nonspecific. Nuclear medicine imaging techniques play a complementary role to morphologic imaging in the diagnosis of bone and joint infections. The availability of hybrid systems (SPECT/CT, SPECT/MRI, PET/CT or PET/MRI) offers improved specificity with ability to assess the extent of infection. Bone scans are useful as a gatekeeper wherein negative scans rule out sepsis with a good accuracy, however positive scans are nondiagnostic and more specific tracers should be considered. These include the use of labeled white blood cells and antigranulocyte antibodies. Various qualitative and quantitative interpretation criteria have been suggested to improve the specificity of the scans. PET has better image resolution and 18F-FDG is the major tracer for PET imaging with applications in oncology and inflammatory/infective disorders. It has demonstrated improved sensitivity over the SPECT based tracers, however, still suffers from lack of specificity. 18F-FDG PET has been used to monitor therapy in bone and joint infections. Other less studied, noncommercialized SPECT and PET tracers such as 111In-Biotin, 99mTc-Ubiquicidin, 18F-Na-Fluoride, 18F-labeled white blood cells and 124I-Fialuridine to name a few have shown great promise, however, their role in various bone and joint infections has not been established. Hybrid imaging with PET or PET/MRI offers huge potential for improving diagnostics in infections of the joints and bones.
期刊介绍:
Seminars in Nuclear Medicine is the leading review journal in nuclear medicine. Each issue brings you expert reviews and commentary on a single topic as selected by the Editors. The journal contains extensive coverage of the field of nuclear medicine, including PET, SPECT, and other molecular imaging studies, and related imaging studies. Full-color illustrations are used throughout to highlight important findings. Seminars is included in PubMed/Medline, Thomson/ISI, and other major scientific indexes.