Nucl Med Mol Imaging.  2015 Sep;49(3):217-222. 10.1007/s13139-015-0320-x.

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Metastasis to the Lumbar Spine Masquerading as a Schmorl's Node

• Daignault
• Palmer EL
• Scott JA
• Swan JS
• Daniels GH

• KMID: 2052056
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-015-0320-x

Abstract

A Schmorl's node is a common incidental finding encountered during radiologic imaging. Despite the vertebral body being a common site of metastatic disease, a lytic lesion adjacent to an endplate with typical imaging features can often confidently be called a Schmorl's node. This is a case report of a patient with a single well-defined FDG-avid papillary thyroid carcinoma metastasis to the spine that had imaging findings characteristic of a Schmorl's node on CT and MRI. This case is important to consider as it demonstrates that the imaging characteristics of metastatic disease and Schmorl's nodes can overlap.

Keyword

Thyroidcancer; Schmorl'snode; Thyroglobulin; FDG; PET; MRI

MeSH Terms

Humans
Incidental Findings
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Neoplasm Metastasis*
Spine*
Thyroglobulin
Thyroid Gland*
Thyroid Neoplasms*
Thyroglobulin