MR images of bone lesions in children treated due to leukemia

Leukemia is the most frequent malignancy in children (30–40%); acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) accounts for 85% of cases of this leukemia. Apart from bone marrow infiltration, MR imaging reveals other lesions in the bones of these children, that may be a complication of the disease or of its therapy and do not require referral to the oncologist unless they are misinterpreted. These lesions include osteonecrosis, stress fractures due to osteopenia, osteomyelitis – often resulting from administration of corticosteroids. The authors present MR images of these lesions, often misinterpreted as leukemic infiltration.