Dysmorphic Vertebral Body
Julia Crim, MD
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
Common
-
Single Vertebral Body
-
Post-Traumatic Deformity
-
Schmorl Node
-
Limbus Vertebra
-
Lytic Osseous Metastases
-
-
Multiple but not all Vertebral Bodies
-
Abnormal Segmentation
-
Partial Vertebral Duplication
-
Vertebral Segmentation Failure
-
Klippel-Feil Spectrum
-
-
Scheuermann Disease
-
Scoliosis
-
Lytic Osseous Metastases
-
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
-
Neurogenic (Charcot) Arthropathy
-
Post-Radiation Changes
-
-
Diffusely Abnormal Vertebral Bodies
-
Sickle Cell
-
Osteogenesis Imperfecta
-
Achondroplasia
-
Less Common
-
Single Vertebral Body
-
Kümmell Disease
-
Osteochondroma
-
Ewing Sarcoma
-
Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis
-
-
Multiple Vertebral Bodies
-
Pyogenic Osteomyelitis
-
Granulomatous Osteomyelitis
-
-
Diffusely Abnormal Vertebral Bodies
-
Thanatophoric Dwarfism
-
Mucopolysaccharidoses
-
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
Key Differential Diagnosis Issues
-
Single vertebrae with abnormal appearance usually post-traumatic
-
2 or more adjacent vertebrae with abnormal appearance usually segmentation anomaly
Helpful Clues for Common Diagnoses
-
Scheuermann disease causes undulating appearance of vertebral endplates
-
Cushing disease causes cupping deformity of vertebral endplates
-
Infection and neurogenic arthropathy are centered on intervertebral disc and show endplate erosions
-
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis results in vertebral bodies that are tall relative to anteroposterior diameter
-
Kümmell disease distinguished by gas in vertebral body
-
Sickle cell causes “Lincoln Log” deformity
-
Mucopolysaccharidoses and achondroplasia cause “bullet vertebrae” with anterior portion of body small
-
Vertebral bodies near apex of a scoliosis often mildly misshapen
-
Tumors involving only part of vertebral body may cause a dysmorphic appearance due to partial collapse
Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
Full access? Get Clinical Tree
