Diagnostic imaging of musculoskeletal tuberculosis

In the last decade an increase in the incidence of tuberculosis has been observed, due in part to the growing number of AIDS-patients. Musculoskeletal involvement is observed in 1-3% of tuberculosis cases. Aim of this article is to describe the diagnostic imaging of musculoskeletal tuberculosis and in particular the diagnostic potentialities of conventional radiology, CT and MRI. The role of MRI in the early identification of vertebral infectious process, in the determination of its locoregional extension and sometimes in its characterization, is underlined. In peripheral osteoarticular tuberculosis both CT and MRI do not supply additional diagnostic information as compared to conventional radiology; the tuberculous process is of difficult differentiation from other degenerative, inflammatory or neoplastic processes; in any case very careful attention is mandatory to establish an early diagnosis.