 Introduction/Background Infections of the musculoskeletal system are a leading cause of pain, disability, and health care encounters. Because of the rise of an aging population, diabetes and obesity, and orthopedic surgeries, the incidence of musculoskeletal infections are also increasing. The overall infection rate following orthopedic hardware placement is estimated to be approximately 5%, and the overall mortality rate associated with necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is >10% [1]. Musculoskeletal infections may have bone and soft tissue involvement and often need imaging using a multimodality approach [2]. The nonspecific signs and symptoms of musculoskeletal infections can make their diagnosis particularly challenging. Predisposing conditions inflammatory arthritis, diabetes, immunosuppression, drug and alcohol abuse, surgery, burns, extremes of body habitus, and poor socioeconomic status can further add to the difficulty of diagnosing musculoskeletal infections both clinically and with imaging [3]. Placement of orthopedic hardware can make imaging diagnosis challenging because of metal artifact, especially on CT and MRI. Imaging plays a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal infections. When imaging is appropriately used, proper characterization of bone and soft tissue infections often guides clinical management. Even when infection is clinically apparent, imaging often provides additional information including the extent of infection into deeper tissues, presence of abscesses, joint involvement, and vascular complications. These assessments are central to medical, surgical, and image-guided treatments [4]. OR Discussion of Procedures by Variant Variant 1: Suspected osteomyelitis or septic arthritis or soft tissue infection (excluding spine and diabetic foot). Initial imaging.
Suspected Osteomyelitis Septic Arthritis or Soft Tissue Infection Excluding Spine and Diabetic Foot PCAs.  Introduction/Background Infections of the musculoskeletal system are a leading cause of pain, disability, and health care encounters. Because of the rise of an aging population, diabetes and obesity, and orthopedic surgeries, the incidence of musculoskeletal infections are also increasing. The overall infection rate following orthopedic hardware placement is estimated to be approximately 5%, and the overall mortality rate associated with necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is >10% [1]. Musculoskeletal infections may have bone and soft tissue involvement and often need imaging using a multimodality approach [2]. The nonspecific signs and symptoms of musculoskeletal infections can make their diagnosis particularly challenging. Predisposing conditions inflammatory arthritis, diabetes, immunosuppression, drug and alcohol abuse, surgery, burns, extremes of body habitus, and poor socioeconomic status can further add to the difficulty of diagnosing musculoskeletal infections both clinically and with imaging [3]. Placement of orthopedic hardware can make imaging diagnosis challenging because of metal artifact, especially on CT and MRI. Imaging plays a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal infections. When imaging is appropriately used, proper characterization of bone and soft tissue infections often guides clinical management. Even when infection is clinically apparent, imaging often provides additional information including the extent of infection into deeper tissues, presence of abscesses, joint involvement, and vascular complications. These assessments are central to medical, surgical, and image-guided treatments [4]. OR Discussion of Procedures by Variant Variant 1: Suspected osteomyelitis or septic arthritis or soft tissue infection (excluding spine and diabetic foot). Initial imaging.