SPECT-CT vs MRI for the Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis in the Foot and Ankle

February 24, 2026 updated by: Martini Hospital Groningen

SPECT-CT Versus MRI for the Diagnosis of Symptomatic Osteoarthritis in the Ankle, Hind- and Midfoot.

The diagnose of symptomatic osteoarthritis in the ankle, mid- and hind foot remains challenging. There is no gold standard for the work-up and various hospitals use different protocols. Current literature shows a promising role for SPECT-CT imaging in ankle, hind- and midfoot OA. In a previous study investigating the role of SPECT-CT in a reproducible group we have observed a change in diagnosis in 53% when SPECT-CT data was added to the data of conventional workup alone. In 26% of patients addition of SPECT-CT data resulted in change of the original treatment plan. To our knowledge no prospective studies are available on this subject for both SPECT-CT and MRI. In our clinic both SPECT-CT and MRI are used in the work-up for patients with ankle, hind- and midfoot pain. Although we experience good result with SPECT-CT, MRI might be able to detect symptomatic OA as well. Moreover MRI provide more information about soft tissue and is less harmful for the patient in comparison to SPECT-CT. The aim of this study is to determine the diagnostic performance of SPECT-CT and MRI when used routinely in patients with symptomatic OA of the ankle, hind- and midfoot.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Objective: The objective is to determine diagnostic performance of SPECT-CT and MRI when used routinely in patients with symptomatic OA of the ankle, hind- and midfoot.

Study design: Prospective cohort study.

Study population: All patients ≥18years old, referred to the Martini Hospital Groningen department of Orthopedic surgery with suspected symptomatic osteoarthritis of the foot and ankle and rest pain of NRS ≥4.

Main study parameters/endpoints: Main parameters will be the diagnostic performance (a.o. sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive value)of SPECT-CT and MRI.

The standard work up consist of questionnaires, detailed physical examination, conventional radiographic, MRI, SPECT-CT imaging and ultrasound guided injections. There are no additional risks for participating in this study compared to current standardised hospital workup.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

132

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
      • Groningen, Netherlands, 9728 NT
        • Recruiting
        • Martini Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Eligible patients subjects will be all patients referred to the Martini Hospital Groningen with suspected OA of the foot and ankle meeting our inclusion criteria. In total 369 patients will be included. A sample of two months showed that 68 new eligible patients were presented at the outpatient clinic with a prevelence of OA in 85%. We assume that at least 50% of the eligible patients are willing to participate in this study, so it is expected that within 24-30 months all patients can be recruited.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Suspected symptomatic ankle, hind- or midfoot OA
  • Informed consent
  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Average NRS ≥4 over the past week.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Contraindication for surgery
  • Contraindication for SPECT-CT or MRI
  • Contraindication for intra-articular injections
  • Isolated forefoot pathology
  • Fracture, ligamentous or tendon injury of the ankle, hind- and/or midfoot trauma within one year before presentation
  • History of neurological disease
  • History of foot and/or ankle surgery (affected side)
  • Inability to read and understand the written information

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Diagnostic accuracy of SPECT/CT and MRI
Time Frame: 1 year
Primary objective is to determine overall diagnostic performance (in terms of sensitivity + specificity, positive and negative predictive values, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratio) of SPECT-CT and MRI for diagnosing symptomatic OA in the ankle, hind- and midfoot.
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Martini Hospital Groningen

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Tom van Raaij, MD/PhD, Martini Ziekenhuis

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 4, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 12, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 12, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

June 22, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 24, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ProSPECT study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Only deidentified data will be available upon reasonable written request in conjunction with appropriate data use agreement.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Osteoarthritis

Clinical Trials on SPECT/CT

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Mauritius

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe