Musculoskeletal Infection: The Great Mimickers on Imaging

Abstract

A series of conditions can mimic musculoskeletal infections on imaging, complicating their diagnosis and affecting the treatment. Depending on the anatomical location, different conditions can manifest with clinical and imaging findings that mimic infections. Herein we present a wide spectrum of the musculoskeletal disorders of the axial skeleton, long bones, peripheral joints, and soft tissue that may manifest as infectious processes, and we focus on the potential mimics of osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, and infectious spondylodiscitis that are common in clinical practice. We present the typical imaging characteristics of each musculoskeletal infection, followed by mimicking conditions.