Sickle cell disease LSBU

Description: Radiology case 38--651 Clinical presentation: There are two cases, each in a young woman of African ancestry. The condition is an inherited anaemia with recurrent episodes that can affect many body systems.
There is biconcave narrowing of the vertebral bodies. The depressions in the end-plates are squared. The bone density is generally increased. The vertebral vascular supply is mostly by the central artery. There is another ring of vessels around the edge of the vertebral end-plate. The squared depression corresponds to the presumptive watershed area between these two areas. Sickle cell anaemia results in the obstruction of small vessels, particularly in areas of low oxygen tension. Although this argument is conjecture, it is a good reminder of the typical vertebral pattern of sickle cell anaemia.