"Tower vertebra": a new observation in sickle cell disease.
BACKGROUND
Skeletal abnormalities are common in sickle cell anemia. Ischemia, infarction, and growth disturbance of the thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies are among the most common abnormalities, and can suggest the diagnosis radiographically.


METHODS
We recently encountered two adult patients in whom vertebrae had grown abnormally in height adjacent to infarcted short vertebrae. We then reviewed the thoracic and lumbar spine radiographs of 54 more adult patients with sickle cell anemia.


CONCLUSIONS
A total of eight patients (14%) displayed infarcted vertebrae with compensatory vertical growth of at least one adjacent vertebrae. These resemble the elongated vertebral bodies associated with other conditions. We can find no prior report of this finding in association with sickle cell anemia.
Marlow
T J
TJ
Department of Radiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
Brunson
C Y
CY
Jackson
S
S
Schabel
S I
SI
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001848:Bone Diseases, Developmental / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007511:Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging