title: Use of a percutaneous diskectomy device to facilitate the diagnosis of infectious spondylitis.
abstract: For evaluation of suspected infectious spondylitis, 19 consecutive patients underwent imaging-guided spine biopsy with needle aspiration and a percutaneous diskectomy device to determine if the diskectomy device provided diagnostic value. In 79% of cases, the diskectomy device yielded a specimen when needle aspiration failed. A significantly greater yield of specimen was observed with the diskectomy device, and >50% of cases with failed needle aspiration had biopsies positive for infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Winthrop University Hospital, 259 First Street, Mineola, NY 11501, USA. awattamwar@winthrop.org
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Wattamwar
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Ortiz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D017587:Diskectomy, Percutaneous / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013166:Spondylitis / Q000473:pathology*