Evaluation of adequacy of short-course chemotherapy for extraspinal osteoarticular tuberculosis using ^99mTc ciprofloxacin scan

In the evidence-based medicine era, objective treatment guidelines have been laid down for pulmonary tuberculosis, but the same is not true for osteoarticular tuberculosis. This has led to demands for standardising the treatment protocol and to a lack of consensus between doctors regarding the composition and duration of treatment. Twenty-five patients with extraspinal osteoarticular tuberculosis were evaluated prospectively. Following the diagnosis, patients were given standard directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) regimen and were monitored for disease activity at zero, three and six months with the help of technetium-99m-labelled ciprofloxacin (^99m Tc) scan. Tracer activity at the site was recorded and compared on sequential scans. Clinical and radiological profile of all the patients were also recorded at regular intervals and compared. All 25 cases had a positive ^99mTc bone scan initially. Four patients (16%) converted to negative scans at three months, whereas the remaining 21 patients (84%) showed negative scans at six months. The end of six months therapy also coincided with resolution of clinical and radiological parameters in all cases. In conclusion, ^99mTc scan is a promising tool for monitoring drug response in osteoarticular tuberculosis; however, due to the small sample size, studies with a large number of patients might be of help.