Lazzeri, Elena http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0185-1424
Bozzao, Alessandro
Cataldo, Maria Adriana
Petrosillo, Nicola
Manfrè, Luigi
Trampuz, Andrej
Signore, Alberto
Muto, Mario
Article History
Received: 10 May 2019
Accepted: 4 June 2019
First Online: 9 August 2019
Compliance with ethical standards
:
: The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), founded in 1985, is a professional nonprofit medical association that facilitates communication worldwide between individuals pursuing clinical and research excellence in nuclear medicine.The European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR), founded in 1977, is a professional society of European neuroradiologists and a leader in education and training, with courses including the brain, spine, and diagnostic neuroradiology, as well as a forum for professional development of European neuroradiology.The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), founded in 1983, is an influential component in the professional lives of microbiologists and infectious disease specialists around the world. ESCMID facilitates the advance of scientific knowledge and the dissemination of professional guidelines and consensus documents in the field of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.EANM, ESNR, and ESCMID members are physicians, biologists, technologists, and scientists specialising in the research and practice of nuclear medicine, neuroradiology, and infectious diseases, respectively.This consensus paper, representing a policy statement by the EANM/ESNR (with ESCMID endorsement), has undergone a thorough consensus process in which an extensive review was performed. The EANM, ESNR, and ESCMID recognise that the safe and effective use of diagnostic imaging requires specific training, skills, and techniques, as described in the introduction section. Reproduction or modification of the published paper is not authorised.They report what ideally should be done based on evidence from the literature. However, these recommendations should be carefully adapted to local practice, where not all diagnostic tests or imaging modalities may be available. Resources available to care for patients, as well as legislation and local regulations, may vary greatly from one European country to another.The recommendations contained herein are intended as an educational tool to assist practitioners in providing appropriate care for patients. They are not inflexible rules or requirements of practice and are not intended, nor should they be used, to establish a legal standard of care. For these reasons and those set forth below, the EANM, ESNR, and ESCMID caution against the use of these recommendations in litigation in which the clinical decisions of a practitioner are called into question.The ultimate judgement regarding the propriety of any specific procedure or course of action must be made by the physician or medical physicist in light of all the circumstances presented. A conscientious practitioner may responsibly adopt a course of action different from that set forth in this document when such course of action is indicated by the condition of the patient, limitations of available resources, or advances in knowledge or technology subsequent to publication of these recommendations.The practice of medicine includes the prevention, diagnosis, alleviation, and treatment of disease. The variety and complexity of human conditions make it impossible to always reach the most appropriate diagnosis or to predict with certainty a particular response to treatment. Therefore, it should be recognised that adherence to these guidelines will not ensure an accurate diagnosis or a successful outcome. All that should be expected is that the practitioner will follow a reasonable course of action based on current knowledge (evidence-based medicine), available resources, and the needs of the patient to deliver effective and safe medical care. The sole purpose of this document is, therefore, to assist practitioners in achieving this objective.The EANM and ESNR (with ESCMID endorsement) will periodically define new guidelines for the diagnosis of spine infection in adults to improve the quality of service to patients throughout the world. Existing diagnostic guidelines will be reviewed for revision or renewal, as appropriate, on their fifth anniversary or sooner, if indicated.
: Elena Lazzeri is a senior advisor of the EANM Committee on Inflammation and Infection. She has nothing to declare.Alessandro Bozzao has nothing to declare.Maria Adriana Cataldo has nothing to declare.Nicola Petrosillo has nothing to declare.Luigi Manfrè has nothing to declare.Andrej Trampuz has nothing to declare.Alberto Signore is a senior advisor of the EANM Committee on Inflammation and Infection. He has nothing to declare.Mario Muto has nothing to declare.
: This consensus document does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors. The human studies described herein have been published previously.
: Not applicable.