It is time for a unified definition of native vertebral osteomyelitis: a framework proposal

Level of evidence: Low (expert opinion review)

Summary:

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in research output on native vertebral osteomyelitis (NVO), coinciding with a rise in its incidence. However, clinical outcomes remain poor due to frequent relapse and long-term sequelae. Additionally, the lack of a standardized definition and the use of various synonyms to describe this condition further complicate the clinical understanding and management of NVO.

The authors propose a new framework to integrate primary diagnostic tools available, which fall into three main domains: clinical, radiological, and direct evidence. These can be divided into seven main categories:

1. Clinical features
2. Inflammatory biomarkers
3. Imaging techniques
4. Microbiologic evidence from blood cultures
5. Microbiologic evidence from invasive techniques
6. Histopathology
7. Empirical evidence of improvement following the initiation of antimicrobial therapy

The authors provide a review on the evolution of these techniques, explaining why no single method is intrinsically sufficient to formulate an NVO diagnosis. They argue for a consensus-driven, multi-domain approach to establish a comprehensive and universally accepted definition of NVO to enhance research comparability, reproducibility, and epidemiological tracking.

Ongoing research efforts are needed to refine these criteria further, emphasizing collaboration among experts through a Delphi method to achieve a standardized definition. This effort aims to streamline research, expedite accurate diagnoses, optimize diagnostic tools, and guide patient care effectively.