Pitfalls in multimodality imaging in a patient undergoing evaluation for bone marrow transplantation

Autologous bone marrow transplantation is being offered with increasing frequency as a therapeutic alternative to patients who have failed conventional chemotherapy. Presently, these patients are being evaluated with a variety of imaging modalities, including planar radiographs, nuclear bone and bone marrow scans, and CT and magnetic resonance imaging. A case is presented here that demonstrates potential pitfalls encountered in this multimodality approach. Correlation of imaging findings with patients history and clinical findings is essential for optimal interpretation of functional imaging modalities.