Diffuse Medullary Hyperdensities Of The Femora And Humeri On Whole-Body Low-Dose Computed Tomography Identify Diffuse Mri Pattern Of Involvement And Correlate With Advanced Disease Stage In Patients With Multiple Myeloma

Whole-Body Low-Dose Computed Tomography (WBLDCT) is considered one of the most accurate methods for the detection of osteolytic lesions in multiple myeloma (MM). On WBLDCT, hyperdense tumor deposits in the medullary cavities of the femora and humeri are often observed; these may represent the only evidence of myeloma in patients without osteolyses. These abnormal hyperdensities may be nodular or diffuse and their density is quantitated by Hounsfield Units (HU). The importance of these deposits has not been fully evaluated in MM. Furthermore, there are anecdotal observations that hyperdense myeloma deposits are more common in patients with a diffuse MRI pattern. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and type of hyperdensities in newly-diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients with a diffuse MRI pattern who also underwent a WBLDCT at the time of diagnosis, compare the results with NDMM patients who had a normal or focal MRI pattern and correlate them with disease characteristics.