title: Osteomyelitis in children: gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging.
abstract: Fifteen pediatric patients with biopsy- or culture-proved nonspinal osteomyelitis were studied with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Osteomyelitis was acute in seven patients, subacute in three, and chronic in five. Four patients had subperiosteal abscesses, one had a large associated soft-tissue abscess, and one had an intraosseous (Brodie) abscess. Areas of active inflammation had decreased marrow signal intensity on T1-weighted images, increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images, and enhancement on T1-weighted images obtained after gadopentetate dimeglumine administration (n = 10). Abscesses were rim enhancing (n = 3) or not (n = 2) with gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging. Nonenhancing areas presumably represented necrotic material. Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging assisted in definition of the presence and extent of nonvascularized fluid collections within the bone and/or adjacent soft tissues and the extent of bone involvement in patients with chronic osteomyelitis. It also helped guide surgical debridement of intraosseous disease (n = 7) and open or percutaneous drainage of subperiosteal or soft-tissue fluid collections (n = 5).
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115-5747.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Dangman
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Hoffer
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Rand
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D002648:Child; D003287:Contrast Media; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008536:Meglumine; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D004338:Drug Combinations; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D008536:Meglumine; D004369:Pentetic Acid; D005682:Gadolinium; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA