Accuracy of bone SPECT/CT for identifying hardware loosening in patients who underwent lumbar fusion with pedicle screws.

Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the accuracy of bone SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography)/CT (computed tomography) in diagnosing loosening of fixation material in patients with recurrent or persistent back pain that underwent lumbar arthrodesis with pedicle screws using surgery and clinical follow-up as gold standard

Methods: A total of 48 patients (median age 49 years, range 21-81 years; 17 men) who had undergone lumbar spinal arthrodesis were included in this retrospective analysis. SPECT/CT results were compared to the gold standard of surgical evaluation or clinical follow-up. Positive SPECT/CT results were considered true positives if findings were confirmed by surgery or if clinical and other examinations were completely consistent with the positive SPECT/CT finding.