OBJECTIVE: Candida spondylitis is relatively uncommon and is usually encountered as an opportunistic infection. We analyzed the MRI characteristics of biopsy-proven cases of Candida spondylitis, and compared the findings with bacterial or tuberculous spondylitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included patients with infectious spondylitis who underwent MRI and biopsy from 1998 to 2011 (60 patients; mean age 56 ± 18 years). MR images were analyzed with respect to the number of involved vertebrae, contrast enhancement pattern, signal intensity of spinal inflammatory masses on T2-weighted imaging, paraspinal abscess size, intervertebral disk destruction, subligamentous spread, and skip lesions. The Fisher exact test and analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There were 10 cases of Candida spondylitis, and 29 and 21 cases of bacterial and tuberculous spondylitis, respectively. On MRI, disk destruction was seen in 50%, 93%, and 30% of Candida, bacterial, and tuberculous cases, respectively. Subligamentous spread of infection was noted in 22%, 10%, and 85%. Paraspinal inflammatory masses were seen in 100%, 100%, and 76%, and abscesses in 100%, 66%, and 90%, of Candida, bacterial, and tuberculous cases, respectively. Paraspinal inflammatory masses contained low T2 signal intensity portions in 80%, 21%, and 67%, and skip lesions were seen in 0%, 10%, and 14%, respectively. Small abscesses were noted in 100%, 76%, and 35% of Candida, bacteria, and tuberculosis infections, respectively. Candida involved 2.3 ± 0.4 vertebrae compared with 2.3 ± 0.9 and 3.0 ± 1.7 in bacterial and tuberculous, respectively. Differences in the three groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05) except for the number of involved vertebrae, and skip lesions. CONCLUSION: Candida spondylitis can be suspected when infectious lesions contain low-signal spinal inflammatory masses on T2-weighted imaging, small paraspinal abscesses, and in immunocompromised patients.
OBJECTIVE:Candida spondylitis is relatively uncommon and is usually encountered as an opportunistic infection. We analyzed the MRI characteristics of biopsy-proven cases of Candida spondylitis, and compared the findings with bacterial or tuberculous spondylitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included patients with infectious spondylitis who underwent MRI and biopsy from 1998 to 2011 (60 patients; mean age 56 ± 18 years). MR images were analyzed with respect to the number of involved vertebrae, contrast enhancement pattern, signal intensity of spinal inflammatory masses on T2-weighted imaging, paraspinal abscess size, intervertebral disk destruction, subligamentous spread, and skip lesions. The Fisher exact test and analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There were 10 cases of Candida spondylitis, and 29 and 21 cases of bacterial and tuberculous spondylitis, respectively. On MRI, disk destruction was seen in 50%, 93%, and 30% of Candida, bacterial, and tuberculous cases, respectively. Subligamentous spread of infection was noted in 22%, 10%, and 85%. Paraspinal inflammatory masses were seen in 100%, 100%, and 76%, and abscesses in 100%, 66%, and 90%, of Candida, bacterial, and tuberculous cases, respectively. Paraspinal inflammatory masses contained low T2 signal intensity portions in 80%, 21%, and 67%, and skip lesions were seen in 0%, 10%, and 14%, respectively. Small abscesses were noted in 100%, 76%, and 35% of Candida, bacteria, and tuberculosis infections, respectively. Candida involved 2.3 ± 0.4 vertebrae compared with 2.3 ± 0.9 and 3.0 ± 1.7 in bacterial and tuberculous, respectively. Differences in the three groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05) except for the number of involved vertebrae, and skip lesions. CONCLUSION:Candida spondylitis can be suspected when infectious lesions contain low-signal spinal inflammatory masses on T2-weighted imaging, small paraspinal abscesses, and in immunocompromised patients.
Authors: Olga Spekker; Luca Kis; Andrea Deák; Eszter Makai; György Pálfi; Orsolya Anna Váradi; Erika Molnár Journal: PLoS One Date: 2021-04-14 Impact factor: 3.240