title: [Differential diagnosis of infective spondylodiscitis and erosive degenerative disk disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the value of imaging in the differential diagnosis of erosive intervertebral osteochondrosis (EIVO) versus infectious discitis (ID).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve cases of EIVO and 30 cases of ID were reviewed 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, well-defined sclerosis and erosions of vertebral endplates, high signal strip surrounding low signal of vertebral endplates on T1-weighted images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Imaging is helpful in difficult differential diagnosis of EIVO versus ID.
authors.affiliation: Service de Radiologie et Imagerie Médicale, CHU de la Timone, 254, rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille Cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Champsaur
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Parlier-Cuau
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Juhan
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Daumen-Legré
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chagnaud
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lafforgue
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Laredo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasbarian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D015299:Discitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010007:Osteochondritis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed