OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe a potential pitfall in using MR imaging to diagnose infectious spondylitis called "pseudosparing" of the endplate, in which the diseased endplate appears to be better defined than a healthy endplate. CONCLUSION: Poor definition of the endplate is a classic radiographic finding in infectious spondylitis; on MR imaging, however, increased conspicuity, or "pseudosparing," was common in our study. Pseudosparing occurs when the normal chemical shift artifact seen in healthy endplates is lost as a result of infiltration of the bone marrow by a pathologic process.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe a potential pitfall in using MR imaging to diagnose infectious spondylitis called "pseudosparing" of the endplate, in which the diseased endplate appears to be better defined than a healthy endplate. CONCLUSION: Poor definition of the endplate is a classic radiographic finding in infectious spondylitis; on MR imaging, however, increased conspicuity, or "pseudosparing," was common in our study. Pseudosparing occurs when the normal chemical shift artifact seen in healthy endplates is lost as a result of infiltration of the bone marrow by a pathologic process.
Authors: Elena Lazzeri; Ernest K J Pauwels; Paola A Erba; Duccio Volterrani; Mario Manca; Lisa Bodei; Donatella Trippi; Antonio Bottoni; Renza Cristofani; Vincenzo Consoli; Christopher J Palestro; Giuliano Mariani Journal: Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging Date: 2004-07-06 Impact factor: 9.236
Authors: Sana Boudabbous; Emilie Nicodème Paulin; Bénédicte Marie Anne Delattre; Marion Hamard; Maria Isabel Vargas Journal: Insights Imaging Date: 2021-12-04