Sternal cupping: a new finding in childhood sickle cell anemia

Discrete cupping of sternal segments has not been reported previously in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA). In a retrospective study, this phenomenon was observed in 8% of children with homozygous SCA and in 10.6% of children with sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease, and thus should be included in the spectrum of osseous abnormalities associated with this disease. In this review, sternal cupping was a temporary phenomenon of little clinical significance. However, radiologists should be aware of this finding so that it is not mistaken for a more serious pathologic process in the sternum.