8 replies to this topic

[Pin]

Does anyone know what this means?

I received a report from a whole body bone scan that says "delayed planar imaging demonstrates two foci of mildly increased uptake in the posterior aspect of the mid-tibia on the right of uncertain clinical significance" and "non-specific focal osteoblastic changes in the right midtibia. These findings are not typical of stress fracture or periostitis and clincal/radiographic correlation is suggested".

Am I freaking out over nothing? I have no idea what that means and can't find any info on it, plus I can't get to my doctor until next week.

I am having the worst week, my cat's been diagnosed with a stupidly rare disease as well. It causes him agonizing pain and clawing at his mouth. What. the. heck.

[hannibellemo]

Pin,

Were they looking for anything in particular when they ordered the scan? (I'm assuming, yes?) The first sounds to me like there were two areas of focus where the contrast was absorbed (or whatever it is contrast does) but they don't have a clue what that indicates"  (I don't have my M.D. but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night) Check out this site http://pathologyoutlines.com/bone.html

It had some of the terminology that was used in the report and explained what osteoblasts are, at least. So, they were looking for a stress fracture or something? That's what you get for exercising!

I'm really sorry to hear about your cat! Of course, you don't want the poor thing to suffer if there is nothing to be done. That sucks all around!

Pat

[Trey]

These devices are good at finding "things" but not as good at distinguishing between what is important and insignificant.  It may be nothing, but suggests a follow-up Xray of the lower leg. 

[Happycat]

Pin,

Can't answer your question specifically, but I'll give you some advice I learned the hard way.   Participate in what makes sense to you, and decline if it seems like theyre not getting any real answers.  Imaging studies can find a lot more stuff than doctors and radiologists actually understand. The imagery is  good, but the science hasn't caught up.

Thus, when my dd had to got to the ER for a complicated migraine, they did an MRI, just in case. Of course, they found something they couldn't explain,  so thus far, she's had at least 6 MRIs over the last two yrs to follow it. They wanted to make sure it wasn't a tumor. In between, we've had about 4 other possible diagnoses. Oh, and they think they finally got it figured out, but now they found something new, a cyst in the bone above her brain, and they have to follow that to make sure it doesn't grow and cause pressure on the brain.

Consider yourself forewarned.

Traci

[Pin]

Thanks all - I'm really hoping it's nothing. My cat's been way sicker than me over the last couple of days so I have had my mind and hands full dealing with that.

Pat - Thank you, they were looking for problems with my back, I've had pain there for over 2 years in one specific spot. I felt the extra CT scan was not necessary as I had one about a year ago, but my sports doctor was pretty insistent that I have one to rule other things out before we treat it further. It sounds like an osteoblast is some kind of collection of new cells. I just react to the word "blast" now, perhaps unnecessarily! My cat is on medication, and he had an awful time on Saturday, but was feeling better by Sunday - we are hoping he continues to improve!

Trey - thanks, yes I am having the x-ray done today, hopefully it is nothing. I typed in "imatinib" and "osteoblastic change" into a search engine and it came out with some interesting things. Possibly, it is due to the Gleevec, but I am hoping it is not a bad thing...

Traci - Thanks for your advice! This is the last time I am letting my sports doctor do any scanning, I just don't feel it is getting me anywhere. Don't get me started on how many tests I've had in the last 2 years to try to fix this problem!

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's cyst - what did they end up finding apart from the cyst?

Ps. I love the avatar picture of your cat - it always makes me smile

[Susan61]

Hi Pin:  These reports and testing can make you nuts, and you see words that sound so bad.  I have had back trouble for many years, and I am just full of Arthritis in my spine and neck.  I went once years ago for a MRI, and had a panic attack due to being clostrophobic.  I made them pull me out, and I never did the test.  Still have the same problem, and its been about 15 years now.  I hope you get some good answers when you see the doctor that you can understand.

Just tell him you want it explained in simple terms for you.  Let us know how you do after you see the doctor.

The waiting is the worst part, and most of the time your worrying for nothing.

[Pin]

Thanks Susan I've never had an MRI, only CT scans and they are not fully enclosed. I imagine I would hate an MRI.

Thank you, I will report back after I see the doc - hopefully it's nothing and this will just serve to help someone else who gets a strange scan result back...

[Pin]

Well - turns out it probably wasn't anything to worry about.

The x-ray says there is "no focal osseous or periosteal abnormality corresponding to the area of increased uptake on the bone scan" and that "no soft tissue calcification is identified".

I guess whatever it was got reabsorbed in the 10 days between scans, or maybe there wasn't anything there to begin with...

Thanks for your support everyone!

[Happycat]

Pin,

After a bunch of different diagnoses and different MRIs with slightly different parameters, they finally decided the spot was heterotopic grey matter, meaning grey matter which should normally be on the outer part of the brain that did not migrate during fetal development, and got stuck in the white matter.  It shows up as a bright spot.  (Initally, it was called a UBO - unknown bright object.)  Mind you, I half expect that diagnosis to change again, because every time we have a different radiologist read the MRI, we get a different answer. 

The one over her ear is a cyst resulting from dead bone cells that did not get swept out.  The body sees it as something that must be sealed off and sequestered, so it calcified around it.  So now it's a cyst.  It may grow, it may not.  I'm kinda hoping it will go away, like yours did, so we can get off this hamster wheel!  Since she does have bad migraines, I feel obligated to keep getting it checked, but I wish we had never started down this road.  Just more things to worry about.

Traci