A retrospective case series found single-photon emission CT/CT enhances back pain management, according to Medscape. Salt Lake City-based University of Utah researchers presented their findings at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2016 Annual Meeting.
The study involved 113 patients who had experienced chronic back pain for the previous six weeks, potential facet joint pain and face arthropathy.
Here are five points:
1. Researchers noted imaging helped with choosing a type of injection, indentifying the appropriate spine level and guiding needle trajectory.
2. Instead of a local injection approach, the study supported an approach combining clinical presentation and radiologic findings.
3. SPECT/CT involves a conventional bone scan, enhanced spatial resolution and improved anatomic localization.
4. After receiving targeted facet joint infections, the patients' visual analog scale scores improved from an average of 4.9 before the injection to an average of 1.5 following the injection.
5. The study found SPECT/CT guidance played a role in clinical improvement of 62 percent of patients.