ArticleInfection2026
Whole-body PET/CT reveals systemic dissemination in spinal tuberculosis: findings from the Spinal TB X cohort.
Article in Infection, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05610098 (Comparing Gene Expression Profiles of Adults With Isolated Spinal TB to Disseminated Spinal TB Identified by 18FDG-PET/CT at Time of Diagnosis, 6-and 12-months Follow-up), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Comparing Gene Expression Profiles of Adults With Isolated Spinal TB to Disseminated Spinal TB Identified by 18FDG-PET/CT at Time of Diagnosis, 6-and 12-months Follow-up
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- National Inpatient Burden, Treatment Patterns, and In-Hospital Mortality of Spinal Tuberculosis in Germany Amid Demographic Change: A Population-Based DRG Study, 2019-2025.Global spine journal · 2026Article
- Differentiating Tuberculous and Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis: Part II: MRI/CT Features, Prediction Models, and the Role of PET/CT-A Narrative Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Defining dissemination in spinal tuberculosis: insights and limitations of whole-body PET/CT.Infection · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionSpinal tuberculosis (STB) is a severe form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis associated with diagnostic delay and substantial morbidity. The extent of disease-isolated versus disseminated STB-remains poorly defined. We applied whole-body 18F-FDG-PET/CT to characterise the clinical and radiographic phenotype of STB. MATERIAL AND
methodsThe Spinal TB X cohort (NCT05610098) is a prospective study of HIV-infected and uninfected patients with suspected STB in Cape Town, South Africa. We analysed the first ten patients with microbiologically confirmed STB. Demographic, clinical, microbiological, histological, and PET/CT data were collected. Isolated STB was defined as spinal involvement only, while disseminated STB was defined as additional organ involvement confirmed by microbiology and/or PET/CT. The study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Cape Town (HREC 243/2022). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
resultsTen patients (median age 44 years [IQR 26], 80% male, 30% HIV-positive) were included. A total of 14 spinal lesions involving 44 vertebrae were detected; psoas abscesses were present in six patients. Mean SUVmax and SUVmean of spinal lesions were 15.2 (SD 4.6) and 6.9 (SD 1.5), respectively; mean total lesion glycolysis (TLG) was 363.2 SUVbw*mL (SD 341.9). Based on microbiology alone, 40% had disseminated STB, combining microbiology with PET/CT findings, 60% had disseminated disease.
conclusionWhole-body PET/CT revealed a high frequency of disseminated disease, underscoring the systemic nature of TB even when clinical presentation is spinal. Isolated STB may represent a distinct phenotype. PET/CT shows promise for assessing disease burden and warrants further evaluation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.