Accuracy in complex clinical cases

Spec-Tac

Imaging evaluation is essential for selecting the appropriate treatment option. SPECT-CT has proven to be an indispensable tool in patients with chronic spinal pain, especially when:

Other conventional techniques, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging or simple CT scans, are inconclusive.
There are complex clinical situations where several simultaneous pathologies are involved.
An accurate guide is required for high-precision surgical procedures.

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What is SPECT-CT?

SPECT-CT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography combined with CT) is a diagnostic imaging test that combines functional and anatomical information in a single study. Unlike an X-ray or a conventional CT scan, which only show the bone structure, SPECT-CT detects where abnormal metabolic activity is occurring.

This involves using a tracer (usually Technetium-99m) that accumulates in areas of bone with the highest osteoblastic activity—that is, where the body is reacting to overload, a degenerative process, or an injury. Because it is a functional test, it can detect structural changes before they occur, revealing the problem before it becomes visible with other techniques.

How does it work? The fusion of two techniques into a single image

The key to SPECT-CT lies in image fusion . On one hand, SPECT identifies areas of high metabolic activity; on the other, CT provides a high-definition, three-dimensional anatomical reconstruction. By superimposing both, we obtain an accurate map that answers the most important question in spinal pain: what specific structure is causing the pain?

This precise localization of the pain generator allows us to move from a probable diagnosis to a targeted one, reducing indeterminate findings and avoiding treating structures that, although they may appear altered in other tests, are not the true origin of the symptoms.

Scientific leadership of VERTEBRA SpinePain & Regenerative Surgery Centers

The implementation of SPECT-CT in the diagnosis of chronic spinal pain was introduced by Clínica VERTEBRA to the global scientific community in November 2014.

This advancement has significantly improved diagnostic accuracy and specificity in age-related degenerative processes. Thanks to this contribution, it is now possible to differentiate pathologies that were previously difficult to isolate and offer each patient a much more targeted and effective treatment. Our accumulated experience since then has made Clínica VERTEBRA a leading center in the application of this technique to the study of spinal pain.