Objective:To evaluate the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in differentiating Brucella spondylitis from tuberculosis spondylitis. Methods:A retrospective analysis method was used to include Brucella spondylitis patients and tuberculous spondylitis patients who had undergone MRI examination at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2015 to December 2017. All patients data of MRI examination (all had T1WI, T2WI, STIR images) were collected and compared. The differences in lesion location, MRI signal, vertebral body destruction, vertebral wedge, kyphosis deformity, attachment destruction, dead bone, bone hyperplasia, intervertebral space change, abscess location, and abscess range were analyzed. Results:A total of 91 patients with brucella spondylitis were selected, including 36 women and 55 men, with an average age of 49.40 years old; 112 patients with tuberculous spondylitis selected in the same examination, including 48 women and 64 men, with an average age of 47.15 years old. There was no statistically significant difference in gender and age between the two groups (χ 2 = 0.225, t = 1.387, P > 0.05). Brucella spondylitis was more common in lumbar spine [72.53% (66/91)], and tuberculosis spondylitis was more common in thoracic spine [47.32% (53/112)]. Brucella spondylitis patients showed higher T2WI hyperintensity than tuberculosis spondylitis patients [51.65% (47/91) vs 24.11% (27/112), P <0.05]; and showed lower T2 hyperlipidemia than patients with tuberculosis spondylitis [59.34% (54/91) vs 72.32% (81/112), P < 0.05]; the incidence rates of mild destruction of vertebral body, bone hyperplasia, normal intervertebral space, paravertebral abscess, and abscess not exceeding the range of vertebral body were higher than those of patients with tuberculosis spondylitis [81.32% (74/91), 93.41% (85/91), 37.36% (34/91), 71.43% (65/91), 38.46% (35/91) vs 20.54% (23/112), 28.57% (32/112), 1.79% (2/112), 30.36% (34/112), 1.79% (2/112), P < 0.01]; the incidence rates of vertebral body severe destruction, vertebral wedge less than 1/2, kyphosis deformity, dead bone, inter vertebral space narrowing, inter vertebral space vanishing, psoas abscess, abscess beyond the range of vertebral body were lower than those of patients with tuberculous spondylitis [12.09% (11/91), 18.68% (17/91), 2.20% (2/91), 2.20% (2/91), 61.54% (56/91), 1.10% (1/91), 2.20% (2/91), 1.10% (1/91) vs 75.89% (85/112), 72.32% (81/112), 29.46% (33/112), 46.43% (52/112), 79.46% (89/112), 18.75% (21/112), 66.96% (75/112), 74.11% (83/112), P < 0.01]. Conclusions:MRI signs can be used to differentiate Brucella spondylitis from tuberculosis spondylitis through analysis of bone hyperplasia, vertebral body destruction, vertebral wedge, kyphosis deformity, dead bone, abnormal intervertebral space, and paravertebral abscess and psoas abscess.

Objective:To analyze the characteristics and quantitative evaluation of Brucella spondylitis patients by magnetic resonance T2 mapping. Methods:A prospective clinical study was conducted to analyze the MRI data of 23 patients with brucellosis spondylitis diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2016 to September 2018, and 25 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group. MRI was used to examine the vertebral bodies of the subjects, and T2 mapping map was automatically generated. Regions of interest (ROI) were selected on the T2 mapping map to generate T2 mapping values automatically. The T2 mapping values of diseased vertebrae, adjacent unaffected vertebrae, paravertebral abscess and healthy volunteers were analyzed.Results:Among 48 MRI examinees, 23 cases were Brucella spondylitis, including 17 males and 6 females, aged (38.5 ± 13.4) years; 25 healthy volunteers, including 15 males and 10 females, aged (35.1 ± 12.7) years. In 23 patients with Brucella spondylitis, 5 thoracic vertebrae, 40 lumbar vertebrae and 7 sacral vertebrae were involved, with a total of 52 vertebral bodies. Among them, 11 (21.2%) vertebral bodies showed bone marrow edema on MRI, 41 (78.8%) vertebral bodies showed bone marrow edema and vertebral bone destruction. T2 mapping values of the diseased vertebrae, adjacent unaffected vertebrae and paravertebral abscess in Brucella spondylitis patients and normal vertebrae in healthy volunteers were (115.62 ± 11.37), (75.21 ± 5.57), (240.26 ± 30.67) and (77.29 ± 4.19) ms, respectively. There were significant differences between the diseased vertebrae in Brucella spondylitis and adjacent unaffected vertebrae in Brucella spondylitis, and there were significant differences between the diseased vertebrae in Brucella spondylitis and normal vertebrae in healthy volunteers ( t = 26.78, 19.42, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Magnetic resonance T2 mapping can be used to evaluate the pathological tissues in Brucella spondylitis patients, and it has certain guiding significance for the quantitative description and qualitative diagnosis.

Objective:To explore the value of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) in differential diagnosis of brucellosis spondylitis (BS) and tuberculous spondylitis (TS).Methods:Retrospective analysis was used to collect the data of patients with BS and TS diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2016 to December 2018. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), laboratory data, and the expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were analyzed.Results:There existed significant differences in imaging findings like the infection levels, the number of infected vertebrae and the paravertebral soft tissue lesions between BS and TS patients ( n=26, 27, P < 0.05). Basophils in BS patients were significantly higher than those in TS patients [(0.022±0.019) × 10 9 number/L vs (0.017±0.007) × 10 9 number/L, t=2.19, P < 0.05]; but the C-reactive protein of BS patients was significantly lower than that of TS patients [(16.12±14.16) mg/L vs (33.78±24.05) mg/L, t=2.45, P < 0.05]. The expression of MMP-9 in BS patients was significantly lower than that in TS patients [76.92% (20/26) vs 96.30% (26/27), χ 2=4.34, P < 0.05], but there was no significant difference in the expression of MMP-2 ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:MMP-9 may be a new biomarker in differential diagnosis of BS and TS, which can be helpful for the differential diagnosis of BS and TS by combining MRI findings with laboratory findings.