180 degrees SPECT of the spine in patients with low back pain. Comparison with 360 degrees acquisition

Abstract

Single-photon emission computed tomography has been proven to detect more abnormalities than planar bone scintigraphy in patients with low back pain (LBP). Both 180 degrees and 360 degrees acquisitions were performed in 24 patients with LBP to determine whether the shorter 180 degrees posterior SPECT is as accurate for abnormality detection as 360 degrees acquisition. The vertebral bodies and posterior elements of 193 vertebrae were scored on a five-point score (1 = normal, 5 = abnormal), independently by three experienced physicians, on three separate reconstructed image sets: standard, filtered, back projection 360 degrees acquisition, distance-weighted 360 degrees acquisition, and standard, filtered, back projection 180 degrees acquisition. With one exception, no statistically significant difference in score was found between 180 degrees and 360 degrees images. For one observer, the mean score of the posterior elements was higher on 180 degrees compared to 360 degrees standard images. These results indicate that 180 degrees acquisition SPECT may be used for abnormality detection in patients with LBP.