MRI as an aid to diagnosis of scurvy in absence of classic clinical and radiographic signs

Abstract

Scurvy, a Vitamin C deficiency disorder leads to impaired synthesis of collagen, osteoid, and dentine, causing cutaneous, dental, and skeletal manifestations, respectively. The radiographic features of scurvy are very well established but the increasing use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in limb pathologies warrants radiologists to be aware of its common as well as atypical magnetic resonance findings. Two children who presented with pain and swelling of the thigh and were proven to have scurvy were included in the study. The first child had cerebral palsy and MRI was performed as radiographs were suspicious for physeal subluxation. MRI confirmed physeal separation of the distal femur with subperiosteal collection. The second patient was developmentally normal and had non-traumatic painful thigh swelling. Radiographs showed a fracture at the distal metaphyseal–diaphyseal junction of the femur. Subperiosteal collection and surrounding muscle edema with heterogenous marrow signal were seen in both the patients on MRI. Inflammatory markers were normal. Follow-up with radiographs after treatment with vitamin C supplementation showed ossification of the subperiosteal hematomas and resolution of the symptoms. These two cases highlight the significance of MRI in reaching a diagnosis in atypical cases of scurvy which has excellent response to Vitamin C supplementation.