SPECT/CT Scan: A New Diagnostic Tool in Pain Medicine.

Publication/Presentation Date

11-1-2023

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to evaluate the role of SPECT/CT in identifying facet joint arthropathy and the outcomes of interventions with SPECT/CT as an adjunct.

RECENT FINDINGS: A positive finding of facet arthropathy on SPECT/CT is associated with a higher likelihood of a unilateral procedure and a significantly more effective intervention compared with those performed on patients with facet arthropathy diagnosed only by clinical and/or radiologic examination. Surgical treatment of SPECT/CT-positive findings appears to have a good effect; however, due to limitations in the available studies, no strong conclusion can be drawn. SPECT/CT has a good correlation identifying pain generators in chronic neck and back pain. SPECT/CT-targeted facet interventions demonstrate a higher success rate, but SPECT/CT is not recommended as a first-line diagnostic tool prior to diagnostic facet interventions. More robust studies are needed to confirm the higher success of surgical treatment for SPECT/CT-positive facet arthropathy.

Volume

27

Issue

11

First Page

729

Last Page

735

ISSN

1534-3081

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

37837482

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article

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