68Ga-Citrate PET/CT for Evaluating Patients with Infections of the Bone: Preliminary Results

The aim of this work was to preliminarily evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy of Ga-68-citrate PET/CT in a population of patients with suspected bone infections. Methods: We enrolled 31 patients with suspected osteomyelitis or diskitis who underwent a total of forty Ga-68-citrate PET/CT scans. The results were compared with different combinations of diagnostic procedures (MRI, radiography, CT, or white blood cell scintigraphy), biopsy (when diagnostic), and follow-up data (at least 1 y) to determine the performance of Ga-68-citrate PET/CT. Results: We found a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 76%, a positive predictive value of 85%, a negative predictive value of 100%, and an overall accuracy of 90%. Conclusion: Although preliminary, these data confirm a possible role for Ga-68-citrate in the diagnosis of bone infections, especially in consideration of its favorable characteristics.