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. 2019 Apr 11;14(1):100.
doi: 10.1186/s13018-019-1134-9.

SponDT (Spondylodiscitis Diagnosis and Treatment): spondylodiscitis scoring system

Lars Homagk  1   2 , Daniel Marmelstein  3 , Nadine Homagk  3 , Gunther O Hofmann  4
Affiliations

SponDT (Spondylodiscitis Diagnosis and Treatment): spondylodiscitis scoring system

Lars Homagk et al. J Orthop Surg Res. .

Abstract

Background: Spondylodiscitis is a chameleon among infectious diseases due to the lack of specific symptoms with which it is associated. It is nevertheless a serious infection, with 7% mortality of hospitalized patients, in large part because of delayed diagnosis. The aim of this study was to develop a diagnosis and course-of-disease index to optimize its treatment.

Material and methods: Through analysis of 296 patients between January 1998 and December 2013, we developed a scoring system for spondylodiscitis, which we term SponDT (Spondylodiscitis Diagnosis and Treatment) based on three traits: (1) the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) (mg/dl), (2) pain according to a numeric rating scale (NRS) and (3) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to monitor its progression following treatment.

Results: The number of patients receiving treatment increased over the past 15 years of our study. We also found an increasing age of patients at the point of diagnosis across the study, with an average age of 67.7 years. In 34% of patients, spondylodiscitis developed spontaneously. Almost 70% of them did not receive treatment until the first diagnosis using SponDT. Following treatment against spondylodiscitis, pain intensity decreased from 6.0 to 3.1 NRS. The inflammatory markers also decreased (CRP from 119.2 to 46.7 mg/dl). Similarly, MRI revealed a regression in inflammation following treatment. By employing SponDT, patients were diagnosed and entered into treatment with a score of 5.6 (severe spondylodiscitis) and discharged with a score of 2.4 (light/healed spondylodiscitis).

Conclusion: SponDT can be used to support the diagnosis of spondylodiscitis, particularly in patients suffering from back pain and elevated levels of inflammation, and can be used during the course of treatment to optimize control of therapy.

Level of evidence: IIa-evidence from at least one well-designed controlled trial which is not randomized.

Keywords: Classification of severity; Scoring system; Spondylodiscitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors’ information

Not applicable

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval for these studies has been granted by the University of Jena, Germany. All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee. The participants declared their consent in writing.

Consent for publication

Not applicable

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Origin of spondylodiscitis in a total of 296 patients
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Diabetes mellitus and spondylodiscitis. NIDDM non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
C-reactive protein (milligrammes per decilitre) on admission and during course of treatment; *p < 0.05
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Subjective perception of pain (NRS) of spondylodiscitis patients on admission and during the course of treatment; *p < 0.05
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
MRI of cases of spondylodiscitis on admission and at discharge
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
SponDT recording at admission to hospital and during the course of treatment; *p < 0.05
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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