Fact-sheet: Bone infarct


Updated on 06/15/2020 at 11:22 AM

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Definition

Bone infarcts, usually located in the metadiaphyseal region of long bones, are typically discovered late and incidentally due to their clinical latency. They are often multiple and frequently associated with epiphyseal necrosis, reflecting a common etiology

Risk factor:

  • alcoholism
  • Sickle cell disease
  • hyperuricemia
  • hypercorticism or prolonged corticosteroid therapy
  • barotrauma
  • Gaucher disease
  • Lupus

Clinical features

May be asymptomatic ++

Pain

Local inflammatory signs

Radiography

Inconsistent and delayed relative to any clinical signs

Mottled osteolysis, mixed lesion, or sclerosis

In long bones, bone infarcts are only visualized once they are old. They appear circumscribed by a dense or radiolucent rim

CT

See radiograph

MRI

Peripheral rim of low signal intensity on all sequences, while at an early stage the central infarcted zone retains the fatty signal of normal marrow.

On T2, low signal intensity predominates in old infarcts, which distinguishes them from chondromas.

Differential diagnosis

Enchondroma

In children! Osteomyelitis