ACR Codes: 4.6
Vertebra plana, or localized platyspondyly (flattening of a vertebral body) is associated with various conditions, to include metastatic disease (most commonly neuroblastoma), eosinophilic granuloma (EG), leukemia and lymphoma, infection, and trauma (2). The patient in this particular case had a known diagnosis of eosinophilic granulomatosis, which is the mildest form of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Single or multiple osseous lesions typically occur in the skull, mandible, spine, ribs, and long bones (1). While collapse of the vertebral body may be present, EG can also cause expansile lytic lesions of the vertebral bodies and posterior elements (1).
Reference(s): 1. Resnick D. Bone and Joint Imaging, 2nd ed. WB Saunders: Philadelphia. 1996; 615-617.
2. Weissleder RW et al. Primer of Diagnostic Imaging, 2nd ed. Mosby: St. Louis. 1997: 392.
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Disease Topic 3796 
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