Value of imaging in the diagnosing echinococcosis of ribs / 中华放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

[Absract] Objective To investigate the imaging features of CT and MRI of echinococcosis, and improve the imaging knowledge of the disease. Methods Clinical and radiological findings of echinococcosis of ribs were retrospectively analyzed by reviewing the seventeen cases confirmed by clinical and pathological findings. All patients had CT scan, eight had X?ray plain film and five had MR examination, while 4 patients underwent additional contrast?enhanced CT examination. Results All lesions were unilateral. There were 33 ribs involved, and single involved rib was seen in 7 cases. On CT scans, 10 cases showed cystic, swelling and osteolytic bone destruction, and 7 cases showed moth?eaten osteolytic bone destruction. There were 13 cases of hydatid cyst, 3 cases of a single sac watery density shadow and 10 cases of polycystic separating wheels form. There were 4 cases of fractured ribs, 2 cases of the longitudinal fracture and 2 cases of the transverse fracture. On MRI, there was one case of rib medullary cavity expansion destruction. It was a single cyst with hypointensity on T1WI, hyperintensity on T2WI and hyperintensity on short time inversion recovery (STIR) images. There were one case of rib medullary cavity expansion destruction and 3 cases of hydatid erosion ribs cortex among 4 cases of polycystic type. Polycystic type echinococcosis appeared hypointensity on T1WI, hyperintensity on T2WI and hyperintensity on STIR images. Polycystic type had mother sac and ascus structure, and signal intensity of ascus was higher. STIR sequence showed more clearly polycystic structure. Conclusions CT and MRI can clearly show location of echinococcosis of ribs. There are the imaging features of cystic, swelling and osteolytic bone destruction or complicating cyst of polycystic type which can help the qualitative diagnosis of rib echinococcosis.