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Imaging of Bone Tumors and Tumor-Like Lesions pp 461–479Cite as

Bone Metastases 1: Spine

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Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Diagn Imaging))

Key Points

• The radiograph is insensitive in terms of identifying metastases which have involvement of <50% of the vertebral body.

• Sagittal T1-weighted and STIR MR imaging sequences are useful screening approaches in assessment of the presence of spinal metastases.

• In the presence of “red flag” symptoms, MRI should be carried out as soon as is reasonably practical.

• Classically the intervertebral disc is not involved in metastatic disease which is helpful in trying to differentiate between metastasis and infection.

• In differentiating malignant from benign vertebral collapse using MRI, the presence of posterior bowing of the vertebral body, heterogeneous abnormal signal throughout the body with signal extension into the pedicle and posterior elements, and paravertebral and epidural soft tissue extension all favour a malignant aetiology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, The Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust, SY10 7AG, Oswestry, Shropshire, UK

    Prudencia N. M. Tyrrell, Victor N. Cassar-Pullicino, Radhesh K. Lalam & Bernhard J. Tins

Authors
  1. Prudencia N. M. Tyrrell
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  2. Victor N. Cassar-Pullicino
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  3. Radhesh K. Lalam
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  4. Bernhard J. Tins
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. MRI Department, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol Road South, Northfield, B31 2AP, Birmingham, UK

    A. Mark Davies

  2. Section of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Imaging Institute, Diagnostic Radiology/A21, School of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Ave., 44195, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Murali Sundaram

  3. Imaging Department, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol Road South, Northfield, B31 2AP, Birmingham, UK

    Steven L. J. James

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Tyrrell, P., Cassar-Pullicino, V., Lalam, R., Tins, B. (2009). Bone Metastases 1: Spine. In: Davies, A., Sundaram, M., James, S. (eds) Imaging of Bone Tumors and Tumor-Like Lesions. Medical Radiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-77984-1_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-77984-1_26

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-77984-1

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