The authors will present cases from our institution's casuistry that demonstrate: - The imaging findings that help to narrow the differential diagnosisofspondylodiscitis; - The main imaging pitfalls that make the spondylodiscitis diagnosis very difficult and captious. Some signs found in MRI are crucial for the early diagnosis and follow up of patients with spondylodiscitis. Therefore, the key-points of the interpretation have to be remembered, in order to avoid slips that can lead to failures in the cases conduction. Some of these key-points are: - Acquiring...

Spondylodiscitis is defined as the infectious involvement centered on the intervertebral disc and the adjacent vertebral bodies. It corresponds to 2 - 7 % of all osteomyelitis, and its has a mortality rate of 2 - 12% of cases (when pyogenic). The pyogenic spondylodiscitis spinal column involvement is more common in lumbosacral column (48%), than thoracic (35%) and cervical (6.5%) columns. When not pyogenic the thoracic spine is often affected, than lumbosacral and cervical columns. The early diagnosis and treatment is the key for therapeutic...

INTRODUCTION Spondylodiscitis is defined as the infectious involvement centered on the intervertebral disc and the adjacent vertebral bodies. In children infection often starts in the intervertebral disc itself because direct blood supply is still presente. In adults infection begins at the vertebral body endplate, extending into the intervertebral disc space na then into the adjacente vertebral body endplate. It corresponds to 2 - 7 % of all osteomyelitis, and its has a mortality rate of 2 - 12% of cases (when pyogenic). The pyogenic spondylodiscitis...

- Ainda assim, o raciocínio diagnóstico do radiologista está sujeito a várias armadilhas, mesmo em casos cujo espectro de achados são característicos. - Imaging studies plays an essential role in the early diagnosis of infectious spondylodiscitis. - Still, the diagnostic approach is subject to various traps, even in cases whose spectrum of findings are characteristic. - Thus, knowing these pitfalls should be general knowledge of radiologists, especially those with particular interest in musculoskeletal radiology.

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