Differential diagnosis of erosive intervertebral osteochondrosis versus infectious discitis

Purpose: To assess the Value of imaging in the differential diagnosis of er osive intervertebral osteochondrosis (EIVO) versus infectious discitis (ID) . Materials and methods: Twelve cases of EIVO and 30 cases of ID were reviewe d to define the usefull signs for differential diagnosis on plain films, CT , and MR. Results: No single sign is sufficient, but the association of several signs is suggestive of EIVO: discal vacuum phenomenom, weil-defined sclerosis an d erosions of vertebral endplates, high signal strip surrounding low signal of vertebral endplates on T1-weighted images. Conclusion: Imaging is helpful in difficult differential diagnosis of EIVO versus ID.