The diagnosis of infection involving intervertebral disk space can be made by consideration of clinical, laboratory and radiographic evidence.
Criteria 1:
(1) organism cultured from involved site tissue obtained during surgery or from needle aspiration
Criteria 2 - one of the following:
(1) evidence of infection at involved site seen during surgery
(2) evidence of infection at involved site by histopathologic examination
Criteria 3 - all of the following:
(1) at least one symptom: fever (> 38 °C) or pain at suspected site of infection
(2) no other recognizable cause for symptoms
(3) one of the following
(3a) positive antigen test on blood or urine
(3b) radiographic evidence of infection
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Specialty: Infectious Diseases, Surgery, orthopedic
ICD-10: ,
