A pathogen was recovered from 61 (66%) of 92 patients who had biopsies performed in this cohort of hematogenous vertebral osteomyelitis. Open biopsies had a higher microbiological yield than did needle biopsies. Antibiotic exposure before biopsy did not negatively impact pathogen recovery and should not be the sole reason for foregoing biopsies.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Marschall et al. (2011) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: