Spondylodiscitis: a Retrospective Observational Study.

Spondylodiscitis is an infectious process affecting the vertebral bodies, intervertebral discs, and paraspinal tissues, sometimes involving the spinal cord, most often with a bacterial etiology. Instrumental diagnosis relies on CT, however, contrast-enhanced MRI is the most sensitive test for confirming the diagnosis, as abnormalities are usually detected earlier than with CT. More recently, nuclear diagnostics using 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18-FDG) PET has proven very useful both for diagnosis and as a tool for monitoring therapeutic efficacy. Etiological diagnosis relies primarily on blood cultures and, if the former is not possible, diagnostic biopsy. Approximately one-third of patients lack a microbiological isolation, and the inability to implement targeted therapy is a known risk factor for treatment failure. Therapeutic indications are giving way to shorter courses based on the use of oral medications, even though the epidemiology of the countries from which most of the clinical indications and literature originate is profoundly different from that of Italy. An epidemiological analysis of the cases referred to our Center is therefore of primary importance.