Detection of musculoskeletal infection with 18F-FDG PET: review of the current literature.

ABSTRACT

There are several studies on (18)F-FDG PET in the evaluation of musculoskeletal infection; however, a search of the literature failed to identify any large-scale studies. The 7 articles reviewed included 273 cases of suspected musculoskeletal infection evaluated by (18)F-FDG PET. This method was found to be sensitive and specific in the evaluation of chronic and acute osteomyelitis and prosthetic infection. Furthermore, (18)F-FDG PET was accurate in the evaluation of infection at previous surgical sites even within 12 mo of surgery. The current literature suggests that (18)F-FDG PET is a highly accurate method to detect musculoskeletal infection.