Scintigraphic diagnosis of intrathoracic extramedullary hematopoiesis in alcohol-related macrocytosis.
We report the scintigraphic diagnosis of thoracic extramedullary hematopoiesis in a case of alcohol-related macrocytosis. A patient with liver cirrhosis and alcohol-related macrocytosis showed multiple rounded masses in the low thoracic paraspinal region on chest radiography and CT. Whole-body scintigraphy and SPECT imaging of the thorax, after nanocolloid administration, demonstrated expansion of the bone marrow in the humeri and femora and uptake of the tracer in the mediastinal masses, establishing the diagnosis of mediastinal extramedullary hematopoiesis. Thoracic extramedullary hematopoiesis may occur in conjunction with alcohol-related macrocytosis. Scintigraphy with 99mTc-nanocolloids is a suitable noninvasive method to establish the presence of extramedullary marrow.
De Geeter
F
F
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Saint John's General Hospital, Brugge, Belgium.
Van Renterghem
D
D
D000368:Aged; D000748:Anemia, Macrocytic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006411:Hematopoiesis, Extramedullary; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D013909:Thorax / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; C083602:technetium Tc 99m nanocolloid