Comparison of imaging methods in POEMS syndrome

Characterizing POEMS Syndrome with 18F-FDG PET/CT

“…POEMS syndrome is still not well understood, and evaluation of this disease remains challenging (1). The imaging modalities for the evaluation of POEMS syndrome include radiographic skeletal survey, technetium scintigraphy, and CT and focus on the skeletal lesions (2,3). Compared with CT, the sensitivity of the radiographic skeletal survey and technetium scintigraphy is unsatisfactory (3).…”

Clinicopathologic Analysis of POEMS Syndrome and Related Diseases

“…13,14 Some bone lesions are densely sclerotic, and others are lytic with a sclerotic rim or have a mixed soap-bubble appearance. 5,15,16 In this study, we found that 1 patient had a rare diffuse osteosclerosis and the extent of osteosclerotic lesion was seldom seen to our knowledge, which might be associated with the short survival although osteosclerosis was not thought to be prognosis-related. 4 Sclerotic lesions rarely are accompanied by bone pain and pathologic bone fractures.…”

Bone lesions in Chinese POEMS syndrome patients: imaging characteristics and clinical implications

“…Two previous Chinese studies did not report any mixed lesions with a soap-bubble or pouched appearance ( Shi et al, 2015 ; Shi et al, 2016 ), possibly because of the small number of patients (22 and 24 patients), some of whom were included in both studies. Mixed lesions also tend to be larger than other types, with the central lytic component showing increased intensity on T2-weighted sequences of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ( Nakayama-Ichiyama et al, 2012 ), and higher activity in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) ( Glazebrook et al, 2015 ; Minarik et al, 2012 ). This may aid in the selection of an appropriate treatment and monitoring of disease progression.…”

“…Therefore, imaging is indispensable for accurately diagnosing POEMS syndrome and determining the treatment approach that is required. However, there is no consensus on the best imaging modality for identifying bone lesions ( Minarik et al, 2012 ). X-ray skeletal survey (SS) and computed tomography (CT) are the two most commonly used methods in clinical practice, but there have been few systematic investigations comparing the effectiveness of the two methods.…”