Transient osteoporosis: transient bone marrow edema?

Ten patients with debilitating hip or knee pain were examined with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. All had conventional radiographs that were either normal or showed nonspecific osteopenia. Nine patients had bone scintigrams that showed focal increased radionuclide uptake in the region of the painful joint. In each case, MR images of the affected joint showed regional decreased signal intensity of the bone marrow on T1-weighted images and increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Biopsy results of four patients excluded ischemic necrosis and metastases. The symptoms resolved spontaneously in all cases. The ten patients were followed up for 12-36 months, and there were no recurrences. The authors believe that the findings on MR images represent a transient increase in bone marrow water content. The focal findings on scintigrams confirmed the periarticular distribution of the process and provided evidence of accompanying hyperemia and increased bone mineral metabolism. For lack of a better term and to emphasize the generic character of the condition, the authors termed this condition "the transient marrow edema syndrome."     

Characterizing bone marrow involvement in Hodgkin’s lymphoma by FDG-PET/CT

Purpose

Fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emmission tomography combined with computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) is superior to iliac bone marrow biopsy (iBMB) for detection of bone marrow involvement (BMI) in staging of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL). The present study aims to characterize the patterns and distribution of BMI in HL as determined by FDG-PET/CT.

Methods

Reports of FDG-PET/CT studies performed for staging of HL were reviewed. BMI was defined as positive iBMB and/or foci of pathological FDG uptake in the skeleton that behaved in concordance with other sites of lymphoma in studies following chemotherapy. Number of FDG uptake foci, their specific location in the skeleton and the presence of corresponding lesions in the CT component of the study, and stage according to the Ann Arbor staging system, were recorded.

Results

The study included 473 patients. iBMB was performed in 336 patients. Nine patients had positive iBMB (9/336, 3 %). Seventy-three patients (73/473, 15 %) had FDG-PET/CT-defined BMI. The BM was the only extranodal site of HL in 52/473 patients (11 %). Forty-five patients had three or more foci of pathological skeletal FDG uptake (45/73, 62 %). Sixty-four patients (64/73, 88 %) had at least one uptake focus in the pelvis or vertebrae. In 60 patients (60/73, 82 %), the number of skeletal FDG uptake foci without corresponding CT lesions was equal to or higher than the number of foci with morphological abnormalities.

Conclusion

FDG-PET/CT demonstrated BMI in 15 % of patients with newly diagnosed HL. Diagnosis of BMI in HL by FDG-PET/CT was more sensitive than iBMB with potential upstage in 11 % of patients. The most common pattern of FDG-PET/CT BMI was multifocal (at least three foci) skeletal FDG uptake, with at least one focus in the pelvis or vertebrae and no corresponding CT lesions.     

Clinical utility of ¹⁸F FDG-PET/CT in the detection of bone marrow disease in Hodgkin's lymphoma

Objective

The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential role of fludeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/CT in the detection of bone/bone marrow disease in patients with Hodgkin''s lymphoma (HL).

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed (¹⁸F)-FDG-PET/CT scans of 122 newly diagnosed, biopsy-proven cases of HL performed between November 2009 and June 2010. All the patients were staged before treatment by both PET/CT and bone marrow biopsy (BMB). Patients were subdivided into three groups based on the findings of FDG-PET/CT. Group A consisted of patients showing diffuse FDG uptake, Group B consisted of patients showing unifocal FDG uptake and Group C patients showed multifocal FDG-avid foci on PET/CT scans. Bone marrow results were also reviewed and considered positive if lymphomatous involvement was detected on bone marrow trephine biopsy. BMB results were correlated with FDG-PET/CT findings.

Results

There were 122 patients in total—81 (66.4%) were male and 41 (33.6%) were female. The age range was from 6 years to 78 years (mean 35.70 years). PET/CT was reported as negative for bone/bone marrow involvement in 85 (69.7%) patients, while the remaining 37 showed abnormal FDG uptake. The sensitivity of FDG-PET/CT was calculated to be 100%, the specificity was 76.57%, the negative predictive value was 76.57%, the positive predictive value was 29.72% and the diagnostic accuracy was 78.62%.

Conclusion

¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT and BMB are complementary in the evaluation of bone marrow disease.Fluorine-18 (¹⁸F)-fludeoxyglucose (FDG) has found widespread use in the diagnosis and staging work-up of lymphomas. One of the most promising applications is in the determination of clinical stage of disease at presentation or recurrence [1]. Accurate staging is essential for planning an effective treatment regimen and minimising side effects and toxicity [2]. Bone marrow infiltration is of prime importance not only in staging the disease but also in the tailoring of treatment protocols [3]. Bone involvement can result from haematogenous spread or by extension from adjacent soft tissues [4,5]. Bone marrow involvement in patients with lymphoma is considered as a sign of generalised disease and with less favourable prognosis. Bone marrow biopsy (BMB) is the established method for the detection of bone marrow infiltration. BMB is generally safe but should not be considered as a risk-free procedure; adverse events (haemorrhage, infection etc) have been reported in about 0.12% of cases [6]. It is an invasive and painful experience for the patients and it sometimes results in only a small sample which may turn out to be inconclusive. Bone marrow involvement is diagnosed in 50–80% of patients with low-grade non-Hodgkin''s lymphoma (NHL), 25–40% of those with high-grade NHL and 5–14% of those with Hodgkin''s lymphoma (HL) [6,7]. Lymphoma staging is based on Ann Arbor classification with Cotswolds modifications [8], which includes CT and BMB. Radiologically, CT may depict cortical bone changes but has low sensitivity for early bone marrow involvement [8,9]. Unilateral or bilateral BMB of the dorsal iliac crest is considered as the standard method for detecting bone marrow involvement complemented by MRI when needed [2,10-12]. The potential role of FDG-positron emission tomography (PET)/CT is yet to be determined for the assessment of bone marrow involvement, as very few systematic studies have been carried out in this regard. Since the advent of FDG-PET/CT, functional imaging has emerged as an important imaging tool in differentiating viable tumour tissue from necrotic and therapy-induced fibrosis [13,14]. The aim of the current study was to correlate BMB and PET/CT results as part of baseline staging work-up and to assess the clinical utility of FDG-PET/CT in the detection of bone/bone marrow disease.     

Can bone marrow scintigraphy predict platelet toxicity after treatment with 186Re-HEDP?

The toxicity of 186Re-1,1-hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate (186Re-HEDP) therapy in patients with painful bone metastases is mainly limited to thrombocytopaenia. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of bone marrow scintigraphy on the prediction of decreased platelet counts after 186Re-HEDP therapy. Twenty-nine prostatic cancer patients with multiple painful bone metastases were included in the study. From a pre-therapy nanocolloid bone marrow scintigram, the bone marrow index (BMI) was determined as an indicator of the extent of bone marrow involvement. The influence of the BMI on the prediction of percent decrease in platelet counts was investigated. The mean BMI was 59 +/- 20. Regression analysis showed that the BMI does not improve the relationship between percent reduction in platelet count and administered dose. In contrast, we previously showed that the bone scan index (BSI) does predict the percent reduction in platelet counts before treatment. We conclude that bone marrow scintigraphy does not provide any additional information on platelet toxicity after a therapeutic dose of 186Re-HEDP. Bone scintigraphy is preferred in the prediction of reduced platelet counts.     

Role of F-18 FDG PET/CT in assessing bone marrow involvement in pediatric Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Objectives

The aim of the current study was to assess the utility of F-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (F-18 FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in assessing bone marrow involvement (BMI) compared to bone marrow biopsy (BMB) in initial staging of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) in pediatric patients.

Methods

Data of 38 pediatric patients (mean age 9.8 years, range 3–18 years) with HL were analyzed for the involvement of bone marrow. All patients underwent non-contrast F-18 FDG PET/CT study. BMB was done in 31 patients from the bilateral iliac crests. Scans were interpreted by two nuclear medicine physicians blinded to the details of BMB.

Results

Of the 31 patients who underwent BMB, 5 patients had lymphomatous involvement on BMB. PET/CT was positive in four of these five patients. In 26 patients negative on BMB, PET was negative in 23 patients and positive in 3 patients for BMI. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of F-18 FDG PET/CT was 87.5 and 96 %, respectively, for BMI.

Conclusions

F-18 FDG PET/CT can predict BMB results with high accuracy. F-18 FDG PET/CT may be used at initial staging of pediatric Hodgkin’s lymphoma as it uncovers unsuspected BMI and BMB may be omitted in patients with PET-positive BMI.     

Concurrent spinal cord and vertebral bone marrow radionecrosis 8 years after therapeutic irradiation

Concurrent radionecrosis within the spinal cord and the bone marrow at the same thoracic level was observed 8 years after localized therapeutic irradiation in a patient who had undergone repeated cycles of radiotherapy, glucocorticoid treatment, and chemotherapy for a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Mechanisms combining radiotoxic potentialization by glucocorticoids/alkylating agents and delayed radiation-induced vasculitis involving the common arterial pathways to the spinal cord and to the vertebrae were speculated to have acted in a synergistic way.     

Intercostal muscle contraction or rib bone marrow activity?: Look for ancillary clues

Diffuse and uniform FDG uptake in the ribs and the intercostal muscles might appear similar on FDG-PET images and a reliable differentiation between the two is important for accurately identifying the underlying process. The former usually suggests excessive contraction of intercostal muscles mostly due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whereas the latter signifies either bone marrow stimulation or involvement by a pathologic process. At times, images may appear confusing and may be misinterpreted. However, in both clinical settings, there are additional ancillary signs, which are helpful in making a correct diagnosis. We herein present 2 case vignettes from each category in which other ancillary signs helped to distinguish FDG rib uptake from intercostal muscle uptake.     

Is there a role for adult non-cultivated bone marrow stem cells in ACL reconstruction?

Purpose

To assess by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) if adult non-cultivated bone marrow stem cells accelerate tendon-to-bone healing in the femoral tunnel, after hamstring anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Methods

Forty-three patients underwent ACL reconstruction and were prospectively randomized into two groups: 20 patients in the experimental group (group A) with adult non-cultivated bone marrow stem cells and 23 patients in the control group (group B) without adult non-cultivated bone marrow stem cells. All patients underwent MRI of the knee at three months after surgery to evaluate the signal-to-noise ratio of the interzone.

Results

There was no difference in the signal-to-noise ratio of the interzone on MRI between the experimental and the control group.

Conclusions

Adult non-cultivated bone marrow stem cells do not seem to accelerate graft-to-bone healing in ACL reconstruction. The clinical relevance of this finding is that adult non-cultivated bone marrow stem cells apparently have a limited role in ACL reconstruction.

Level of evidence

II.     

Long‐term accumulation and microdistribution of uranium in the bone and marrow of beagle dog

The accumulation and microdistribution of uranium in the bone and marrow of Beagle dogs were determined by both neutron activation and neutron‐fission analysis. The experiment started immediately after the weaning period, lasting till maturity. Two animal groups were fed daily with uranyl nitrate at concentrations of 20 and 100?µg?g^?1 food. Of the two measuring techniques, uranium accumulated along the marrow as much as in the bone, contrary to the results obtained with single, acute doses. The role played by this finding for the evaluation of radiobiological long‐term risks is discussed. It was demonstrated, by means of a biokinetical approach, that the long‐term accumulation of uranium in bone and marrow could be described by a piling up of single dose daily incorporation.     

Heterogeneous signal in bone marrow on MRI of children’s feet: a normal finding?

Objective To describe the magnetic resonance (MR) appearances of the bone marrow of children’s feet and to determine their frequency and significance. Design and patients. A review of MR studies obtained in a retrospective series of 35 children with foot pain and in a prospective series of 19 asymptomatic children was performed. The MR appearances on T1-weighted, T2-weighted and STIR sequences were assessed and the frequency of patchy areas of low signal intenstiy on T1-weighted and high signal intenstiy on T2-weighted or STIR sequences was determined and correlated with clinical features. Results and conclusions. Low signal intenstiy on T1-weighted and high signal intenstiy on T2-weighted and STIR sequences were seen in 63% of symptomatic and 57% of asymptomatic children. In all cases where both feet were imaged, the changes were seen bilaterally. The marrow pattern varied from multiple discrete foci to more extensive confluent areas of high signal on the STIR sequence. These appearances are frequent and represent normal variation in the growing skeleton, and should not necessarily be interpreted as a sign of pathology. Received: 2 October 1998 Revision requested: 20 January 1999 Revision received: 18 February 1999 Accepted: 2 March 1999     

Validation of prospective whole-body bone marrow dosimetry by SPECT/CT multimodality imaging in 131I-anti-CD20 rituximab radioimmunotherapy of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Purpose Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) for relapsed non-Hodgkins lymphoma is emerging as a promising treatment strategy. Myelosuppression is the dose-limiting toxicity and may be particularly problematic in patients heavily pretreated with chemotherapy. Reliable dosimetry is likely to minimise toxicity and improve treatment efficacy, and the aim of this study was to elucidate the complex problems of dosimetry of RIT by using an integrated SPECT/CT system.Methods As a part of a clinical trial of ¹³¹I-anti-CD20 rituximab RIT of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, we employed a patient-specific prospective dosimetry method utilising the whole-body effective half-life of antibody and the patients ideal weight to calculate the administered activity for RIT corresponding to a prescribed radiation absorbed dose of 0.75 Gy to the whole body. A novel technique of quantitation of bone marrow uptake with hybrid SPECT/CT imaging was developed to validate this methodology by using post-RIT extended imaging and data collection.Results A strong, statistically significant correlation (p=0.001) between whole-body effective half-life of antibody and effective marrow half-life was demonstrated. Furthermore, it was found that bone marrow activity concentration was proportional to administered activity per unit weight, height or body surface area (p<0.001).Conclusion The results of this study show the proposed whole-body dosimetry method to be valid and clinically applicable for safe, effective RIT.     

Prognostic value of metabolic indices and bone marrow uptake pattern on preoperative 18F–FDG PET/CT in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma

Purpose

To evaluate the prognostic value of metabolic parameters and bone marrow uptake (BMU) patterns on pretherapeutic 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F–FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma (NB).

Patients and methods

Forty-seven pediatric patients with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma who underwent 18F–FDG PET/CT were retrospectively reviewed. Clinicopathological factors and metabolic parameters including maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) and bone marrow uptake patterns on PET/CT were compared to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) by univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

During the follow-up period, 27 (57.4%) patients experienced recurrence. MTV (P = 0.001), TLG (P = 0.004) and BMU patterns (P = 0.025) remained significant predictive factors for tumor recurrence, along with tumor size, histology, stage, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and other distant metastasis (except bone metastasis). Univariate analysis showed that histology, stage, tumor size (>37.25 cm), other distant metastasis, MTV (>88.10cm³) and TLG (>1045.2 g) and BMU patterns correlated with both RFS and OS (P < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, TLG remained the only independent prognostic factor for RFS (P = 0.016) and OS (P = 0.012), and BMU patterns and MTV were statistically significant for OS (P = 0.024 and P = 0.038, respectively).

Conclusion

Pretherapeutic 18F-FDG PET/CT can provide reliable prognostic information for neuroblastoma pediatric patients, and patients with high MTV, TLG and focal bone marrow (unifocal and multifocal) uptake on PET/CT may have inferior outcomes during subsequent treatment.

     

Which MR sequences should we use for the reliable detection and localization of bone marrow edema in spondyloarthritis?

Objectives

To assess the diagnostic confidence in detecting and localizing areas of bone marrow edema in the sacroiliac joint of patients with suspected spondyloarthritis using a single-plane method and comparing it with multiplanar unenhanced and enhanced methods.

Materials and methods

Patients with clinical suspicion of spondyloarthritis undergoing an MRI of the sacroiliac joint were included in this retrospective study. To assess sacroiliitis, three methods were applied: single-plane (i.e., para-coronal STIR alone), multiplanar unenhanced (i.e., para-coronal STIR and para-axial PD-fs), and multiplanar enhanced method (i.e., para-coronal and para-axial post-contrast T1-fs). Two 4-point scales were used to evaluate, respectively, the diagnostic confidence in detection and localization of bone marrow edema. The distribution of certain and uncertain rating according to signal intensity and size of the lesions was also calculated.

Results

Seventy-four patients met the inclusion criteria. Both multiplanar methods increased the diagnostic confidence in detection (p < 0.001) and localization (p < 0.001) of sacroiliitis; no significant difference occurred between the multiplanar unenhanced and enhanced methods (p = 0.405 and p = 1.00, respectively, for detection and localization). A statistically significant difference between the distributions of certain and uncertain rating for detection based on the size and signal intensity of each lesion emerged (p = 0.006 and p < 0.001, respectively), whereas no statistically significant difference occurred for the confidence of localization (p = 0.452 and p = 0.694, respectively).

Conclusions

The multiplanar methods increased the diagnostic confidence in detection and localization of sacroiliitis. The absence of a significant difference between the proposed unenhanced and enhanced methods suggests that contrast medium is not mandatory for the detection of sacroiliitis.

     

Does vertebral bone marrow fat content correlate with abdominal adipose tissue,lumbar spine bone mineral density,and blood biomarkers in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus?

Purpose:

To compare vertebral bone marrow fat content quantified with proton MR spectroscopy (¹H‐MRS) with the volume of abdominal adipose tissue, lumbar spine volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), and blood biomarkers in postmenopausal women with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Materials and Methods:

Thirteen postmenopausal women with T2DM and 13 age‐ and body mass index‐matched healthy controls were included in this study. All subjects underwent ¹H‐MRS of L1–L3 to quantify vertebral bone marrow fat content (FC) and unsaturated lipid fraction (ULF). Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) was performed to assess vBMD of L1–L3. The volumes of abdominal subcutaneous/visceral/total adipose tissue were determined from the QCT images and adjusted for abdominal body volume (SAT_adj/VAT_adj/TAT_adj). Fasting blood tests included plasma glucose and HbA1c.

Results:

Mean FC showed an inverse correlation with vBMD (r = ?0.452; P < 0.05) in the whole study population. While mean FC was similar in the diabetic women and healthy controls (69.3 ± 7.5% versus 67.5 ± 6.1%; P > 0.05), mean ULF was significantly lower in the diabetic group (6.7 ± 1.0% versus 7.9 ± 1.6%; P < 0.05). SAT_adj and TAT_adj correlated significantly with mean FC in the whole study population (r = 0.538 and r = 0.466; P < 0.05). In contrast to the control group, significant correlations of mean FC with VAT_adj and HbA1c were observed in the diabetic group (r = 0.642 and r = 0.825; P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

This study demonstrated that vertebral bone marrow fat content correlates significantly with SAT_adj, TAT_adj, and lumbar spine vBMD in postmenopausal women with and without T2DM, but with VAT_adj and HbA1c only in women with T2DM. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;35:117‐124. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

     

Can bone marrow edema be seen on STIR images of the ankle and foot after 1 week of running?

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether initiation of running in sedentary individuals would lead to bone marrow edema on MR images, within the time span of 1 week. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The feet of 10 healthy volunteers were imaged by MR imaging before and after running during 30 min a day for 1 week. The images were evaluated by consensus of 2 musculoskeletal radiologists who graded the presence of bone marrow edema on a 4-point scale. Edema scores and number of bones involved before and after running were compared statistically. RESULTS: Edema was present on the baseline images in 3 subjects. After running edema showed an increase or was present in 5 subjects. The changes after running were statistically significant. Bones involved were the talus, calcaneus, navicular bone, cuboid bone, and 5th metatarsal. CONCLUSION: Edema patterns can be seen in the feet of asymptomatic individuals. During initiation of running an increase of edema or development of new edema areas can be seen.     

Longitudinal assessment of bone marrow edema-like lesions and cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis using 3 T MR T1rho quantification

Objective  

To quantitatively assess the relationship between bone marrow edema-like lesions (BMELs) and the associated cartilage in knee osteoarthritis (OA) using T_1ρ quantification at 3 T MRI.