Related Experiment Videos
Gastric uptake of Tc-99m MDP in a child treated with isotretinoin
A Franco1, W R Hampton, B S Greenspan
1Department of Radiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York.
Insights
Prolonged isotretinoin treatment may cause bone and ligament calcification. A rare case in a child showed abnormal gastric uptake on bone scans, suggesting potential gastric effects in humans.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Radiology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Isotretinoin is a common acne treatment with known skeletal side effects.
- Previous studies linked prolonged isotretinoin use to ligamentous and bone calcification in humans.
- Gastric mucosal calcification has been observed in animal models but not documented in humans.
Observation:
- A pediatric patient underwent 26 months of isotretinoin therapy for a dermatologic condition.
- The patient exhibited abnormal gastric uptake of 99m-Tc MDP during a bone scan.
- This finding suggests a potential, previously undocumented, gastric side effect of isotretinoin.
Findings:
- The case report details abnormal gastric radiotracer uptake in a child treated with isotretinoin.
- This observation contrasts with the lack of reported human gastric mucosal calcification in prior literature.
- The findings warrant further investigation into isotretinoin's effects on gastric physiology.
Implications:
- This case highlights a potential new side effect of prolonged isotretinoin therapy.
- Further research is needed to confirm and understand the mechanism of gastric involvement.
- Clinicians should be aware of potential gastrointestinal manifestations in patients on long-term isotretinoin treatment.
Abstract:
The side effects of prolonged isotretinoin therapy include progressive calcification of ligamentous and tendon insertions, premature fusion of epiphyses, and modeling abnormalities of long bones. Increased calcification of gastric mucosa has been reported only in animal studies, but not in humans. A case of a child who was treated with isotretinoin for 26 months for a dermatologic disorder and who showed abnormal gastric uptake of 99m-Tc MDP on a bone scan is reported.