Ivory vertebra appearing photopenic on Tc-99m MDP bone scan: demonstration by SPECT/CT

Clin Nucl Med. 2008 Jul;33(7):479-81. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0b013e31817793e5.

Abstract

We report the case of a 72-year-old man with prostate cancer, in whom Tc-99m MDP bone scintigraphy revealed a "superscan" pattern, except in a dorsal vertebra, which appeared photopenic. A low-dose SPECT/CT acquisition demonstrated that the lack of tracer uptake corresponded to a blastic lesion with no lytic component. Surprisingly, the cold vertebra appeared as an "ivory vertebra" on the CT part of the SPECT/CT acquisition. In the present case, the photopenic appearance is thought to be due to a concomitant blastic lesion and spine infarct.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Bone and Bones / diagnostic imaging*
  • Disease Progression
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Phenotype
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Radionuclide Imaging
  • Technetium Tc 99m Medronate*
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / methods*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods*
  • Whole Body Imaging

Substances

  • Technetium Tc 99m Medronate