Table 3:

Clinical outcome in histology(+) and culture(−) and histology(−) cases^a

	Histology(+), Culture(−)	Culture(−)
Infection	53	30
Confirmed by operation	13	4
Isolation of the causative organism by blood culture	12	5
Improvement after empiric antibiotic treatment	25	19
Aggravation on follow-up MRI	3	1
Noninfection	11	20
Compression fracture	6	7
Degenerative change (Modic type I)	2	3
Hemorrhage by previous trauma	0	2
CML	0	1
Follow-up loss	1	1
Etc	2	6
	64	50

Note:—Etc. indicates the case that infectious spondylitis was suspected on MRI image, but clinical symptoms were improved without empirical antibiotic treatment; CML, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

^aFor Histology(+), the pathology report was recorded as “consistent with infectious spondylitis, “active or acute inflammation,” “suggestive of osteomyelitis,” and “chronic granulomatous inflammation.” Histology(−) indicates the rest except the histology(+). Culture(+) is identification of the causative organism. Culture(−) is no identification of the causative organism.