Presentation
Acute sickle cell crisis?
Patient Data
Age: 20 years
Gender: Male
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Artifact from metal nose bridge in face mask.
Lungs clear.
Sclerotic bones.
Lower thoracic vertebral endplate depressions, not quite yet H-shaped vertebrae.
Case Discussion
A young patient from the appropriate ethnicity for sickle cell disease. The bones are diffusely sclerotic for a young patient.
Several of the superior endplates of the thoracic vertebrae are depressed (due to infarction from vaso-occlusive disease). None as yet are H-shaped.
In this setting or in an exam, other findings to look for include:
- paraspinal masses from extramedullary hematopoiesis
- absent spleen from a splenectomy or calcified spleen from autoinfarction (so-called autosplenectomy)