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Bone scintigraphy in acute intraosseous disc herniation
Bronwyn A Crawford1, Hans van der Wall
1Department of Endocrinology, Concord Hospital, Concord, Australia. brcrawfo@mail.usyd.edu.au
Clinical Nuclear Medicine
|September 22, 2007
Summary
This case study highlights acute disc herniation in an older woman, initially misdiagnosed as Scheurmann
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Radiology
- Spine Surgery
Background:
- A 57-year-old woman presented with acute low back pain.
- Initial diagnosis suggested Scheuermann's disease of the lumbar spine.
Observation:
- Recurrent pain after minimal trauma prompted further investigation.
- Bone scintigraphy showed suspicious uptake in L4-L5.
- MRI revealed acute disc herniation with significant bone marrow edema.
Findings:
- The patient experienced an acute L4/L5 disc herniation.
- Bone marrow edema was a prominent finding on MRI.
- Resolution of edema was observed over 18 months.
Implications:
- Acute disc herniation is a rare finding in scintigraphic literature.
- Consider disc herniation in older patients with back pain and bone marrow edema.
- This case underscores the importance of comprehensive imaging in diagnosing spinal conditions.
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