Bone scintigraphy in patients with juvenile kyphosis (M. Scheuermann)

A group of 32 patients between 10 and 16 years of age with a positive history and physical examination of juvenile kyphosis were studied. Both radiological and nuclear bone scanning studies of the spinal column were performed. Despite gross radiological abnormalities of the spinal column due to M. Scheuermann the bone scan was always negative. In 2 patients increased radionuclide accumulation was found due to active spondylodiscitis and a healing discitis. Our conclusion is that when a positive bone scan of a patient with M. Scheuermann is found one should consider other causes of involvement of the spinal column than juvenile kyphosis.