Acute bone-marrow oedema in cyclosporin-treated renal transplant recipients

Transient musculoskeletal pain may occur in renal transplant patients on cyclosporin (CyA). Of 28 consecutive patients transplanted in this unit between 20 January 1995 and 2 May 1996, eight (two published elsewhere) developed this problem. Before transplantation, three of the patients had received prednisone intermittently or continuously for 15, 5 and 2 years, for asthma, crescentic GN and SLE, respectively. All patients had normal hand radiographs prior to transplantation. Five developed acute rejection following transplantation requiring treatment with methylprednisolone; one also required OKT3 (7 days). Weight-bearing joints of the lower limbs became affected at 3-40 weeks (mean 14) following transplantation. MRI changes (T1-, T2-weighted and STIR images) were consistent with acute bone-marrow oedema. Bone scintigrams showed enhanced tracer uptake in affected joints. A spontaneous complete remission occurred in five patients within 4-16 weeks, and this was supported by serial imaging. The other patient underwent core decompression of the femoral heads with relief of symptoms, but MRI showed bilateral avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral heads. MRI proved useful in detecting acute bone-marrow oedema and its possible progression to AVN. The former may be either a distinct entity or a forerunner of AVN.