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Reversible Rib Photopenia Demonstrated by Bone Scan in Vaso-occlusive Complication of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

We report the case of a 39-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), who was seen for excruciating rib pain, thrombocytopenia, anemia, renal failure, and an inflammatory syndrome. She was treated with high-dose steroids. A bone scan performed initially revealed upper thoracic cage phot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical nuclear medicine 2006-02, Vol.31 (2), p.77-78
Main Authors: Guillemard, Sophie, Comte, Frederic, Segard, Tatiana, Rossi, Michel
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We report the case of a 39-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), who was seen for excruciating rib pain, thrombocytopenia, anemia, renal failure, and an inflammatory syndrome. She was treated with high-dose steroids. A bone scan performed initially revealed upper thoracic cage photopenia and was suggestive of a vaso-occlusive crisis. At the same time, thrombophlebitis of the right arm was diagnosed. The presence of a lupus anticoagulant was highlighted. Plasmapheresis initiated 5 days after the bone scan relieved the patient immediately. A follow-up bone scan performed 20 days after the initial study showed improvement in uptake of the upper anterior ribs and confirmed the diagnosis of vaso-occlusive crisis.
ISSN:0363-9762
1536-0229
DOI:10.1097/01.rlu.0000196409.59200.5d