Recognition of vertebral abnormalities in computed tomography of the chest and abdomen

Computed tomography of the chest or abdomen may reveal vertebral abnormalities. Images in multiple projections of dry and fresh specimens of the spine demonstrate that osteophytes, end-plate irregularities, and marked obliquity fail to mimic true osteoblastic vertebral lesions. Disk calcification may simulate a metastatic deposit if the section includes both disk and vertebral body. Abdominal or chest "window" settings produce an apparent increase in bone density. Analysis of the bony spine from abdominal and chest images requires gray scale settings different from those used for the study of visceral organs.