Epidemiologic, clinical, and imaging findings in brucellosis patients with osteoarticular involvement

The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiologic and clinical features, complications, imaging findings, and outcomes for brucellosis patients with osteoarticular involvement.

This prospective study was performed over 4 years (December 2000-December 2004). The subjects were 251 Turkish patients (age range, 2-77 years) who were diagnosed with brucellosis during that period. Joint sonography, radiography, radionuclide bone scintigraphy, and MRI were performed in all patients with osteoarticular and spinal manifestations.

The disease was acute in 92 patients (36.7%), subacute in 48 patients (19.1%), and chronic in 111 patients (44.2%). Sonography of the joints showed bursitis in 13 patients (5.2%). Radiography, MRI, and scintigraphy revealed 71 patients (28.3%) with sacroiliitis, 26 (10.4%) with spondylodiskitis, three (1.2%) with acute osteomyelitis, and one (0.4%) with avascular necrosis of the femoral head. All patients received combinations of either two or three antibiotics. Surgery was performed in three patients with spinal instability or radiculopathy.

Brucellosis is endemic to some regions. MRI is the method of choice for diagnosing osteoarticular and spinal complications of human brucellosis, especially during the early phase. It is important to differentiate tuberculous spondylodiskitis from brucellar spondylodiskitis because proper treatment for each of these diseases can prevent complications. The radiologic findings for these two forms of spondylodiskitis are similar, so serologic testing for brucellosis is necessary in such cases.