• Katsuhiro Tofuku, Hiroaki Koga, and Setsuro Komiya.
• Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Imakiire General Hospital, 4-16 Shimotatsuo, Kagoshima, 892-8502, Japan, tofuku@m2.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp.
• Eur Spine J. 2015 Apr 1;24(4):859-63.

PurposeWe aimed to evaluate the value of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) for the diagnosis of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction.MethodsSPECT/CT was performed in 32 patients with severe SIJ dysfunction, who did not respond to 1-year conservative treatment and had a score of >4 points on a 10-cm visual analog scale. We investigated the relationship between the presence of severe SIJ dysfunction and tracer accumulation, as confirmed by SPECT/CT. In cases of bilateral SIJ dysfunction, we also compared the intensity of tracer accumulation on each side. Moreover, we examined the relationship between the intensity of tracer accumulation and the different treatments the patients subsequently received.ResultsAll 32 patients with severe SIJ dysfunction had tracer accumulation with a standardized uptake value (SUV) of >2.2 (mean SUV 4.7). In the 19 patients with lateralized symptom intensity, mean SUVs of the dominant side were significantly higher than those of the nondominant side. In 10 patients with no lateralization, the difference in the SUVs between sides was <0.6. Patients exhibiting higher levels of tracer accumulation required more advanced treatment.ConclusionPatients with higher levels of tracer accumulation had greater symptom severity and also required more advanced treatment. Thus, we believe that SPECT/CT may be a suitable supplementary diagnostic modality for SIJ dysfunction as well as a useful technique for predicting the prognosis of this condition.

25 keywords...

hide…