Abstract
Aim
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) Positron Emission Tomography, paired with Computed Tomography (PET/CT) are two indicated advanced imaging modalities in the complicated diagnostic work-up of osteomyelitis. PET/MRI is a relatively novel hybrid modality with suggested applications in musculoskeletal infection imaging. The goal of this study was to assess the value of hybrid 18F-FDG PET/MRI for chronic osteomyelitis diagnosis and surgical planning.
Method
Five suspected chronic osteomyelitis patients underwent a prospective 18F-FDG single-injection/dual-imaging protocol with hybrid PET/CT and hybrid PET/MR. Diagnosis and relevant clinical features for the surgeon planning treatment were compared. Subsequently, 36 patients with 18F-FDG PET/MRI scans for suspected osteomyelitis were analysed retrospectively. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were determined with the clinical assessment as the ground truth. Standardized uptake values (SUV) were measured and analysed by means of receiver operating characteristics (ROC).
Results
The consensus diagnosis was identical for PET/CT and PET/MRI in the prospective cases, with PET/CT missing one clinical feature. The retrospective analysis yielded a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 78%, 100%, and 86% respectively. Area under the ROC curve was .736, .755, and.769 for the SUVmax, target to background ratio, and SUVmax_ratio respectively. These results are in the same range and not statistically different compared to diagnostic value for 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging of osteomyelitis in literature.
Conclusions
Based on our qualitative comparison, reduced radiation dose, and the diagnostic value that was found, the authors propose 18F-FDG PET/MRI as an alternative to 18F-FDG PET/CT in osteomyelitis diagnosis, if available.
