TABLE 2.

MRI differences between pyogenic spondylitis, tuberculous spondylitis and fungal spondylitis.

Feature	Fungal spondylitis	Pyogenic spondylitis	Tuberculous spondylitis
Location	Lumbar	Lumbar	Thoracic
Number of affected vertebrae	Usually involves two or more connected vertebrae	Usually involves two connected vertebrae	May involve skipping lesions (higher probability)
Degree of vertebral destruction	Mild, often localized erosion	Mild to moderate	Severe, often > 50% destruction
Signal intensity of vertebrae	T2WI typically shows the vertebrae as low signal, while STIR highlights the vertebrae with high signal.	Vertebral high signal on T2WI, vertebral high signal on STIR	Vertebral high signal on T2WI, vertebral high signal on STIR
Paraspinal abscess	Thick, irregular abscess wall	Thick	Thin, regular abscess wall
Vertebral abscess	Rare	Rare	Common
Intradiscal abscess	Rare	Common	Rare

STIR, short tau inversion recovery.