To be able to detect TB in spine at earliest possible stage due to availability of advanced imaging tools. To be able to analyze different levels of involvement and extent of disease process depending on duration of symptoms taking MR as imaging tool and histopathology as gold standard.

TB is still a health hazard and challenge faced especially by south east Asian countries. Spinal TB accounts for more than 50% of musculoskeletal TB. It is mostly a secondary infection from primary site either in lung or from genitourinary tract. Spinal infection usually results from hematogenous seeding of vertebral body, and th diagnosis remains elusive due to indolent nature of this chronic infectivprocess. Because of this the MR findings are far advanced at the time of establishing the...

After ethical review committee approval, we conducted this cross sectional study at Radiology department of JPMC from july to december 2016. Out of a total of 2995 MRI of spine, 51 cases were found to have TB of spine; confirmed on histopathology. The scanning was performed on 1.5T Achieva Nova Philips scanner and 0.3T Hitachi(open scanner). The patients included in the study had a backache of three months duration. Their MR features included involvement of endplates and vertebral bodies...

The advent of mri has made early detection of TB possible at a lessr degree of involvement. The clinicians can take maximum advantage of this state of the art modality in patients with low grade fever and lower backache. Early detection can help in prevention of long term disabilities and patients' quality of life. TB is a dilemma of developing nations. It needs eradication and for that early detection is the key.

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