Vertebral hyperemia associated with bone marrow insult and recovery

A 15-year-old boy with rhabdoid sarcoma received chemotherapy, which was followed by bone marrow depression, massive nosebleeds and, finally, hematologic recovery. On both hepatobiliary and renal scintigraphy, prominent vertebral activity was present in early images. Correlation with his clinical course suggests that the findings reflect hyperemia due to marrow insult and recovery. Radionuclide imaging to detect hyperemia may be a useful probe for drug effects on hematopoietic bone marrow.