Osseous sarcoidosis: clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes--experience from a large, academic hospital

Osteolytic sarcoidosis of the orbit without pulmonary involvement

A 69-year-old woman with a history of a left orbital mass presented to the emergency room with progressive breakthrough pain in her left orbit despite medical therapy. On examination, there was extraocular motility restriction with diplopia upon left supraduction. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the orbits revealed soft tissue thickening of the left medial and superior periorbita and left lacrimal fossa; bony erosion of the left frontal bone, left orbital roof, and left lamina papyracea; and bilateral mass-like enlargement of the extraocular muscles. An orbitotomy with incisional biopsy was performed, and histopathological examination revealed non-caseating granulomatous inflammation consistent with sarcoidosis. Chest imaging demonstrated no sequela of pulmonary sarcoidosis, and her serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) level was within normal range. She was treated with high-dose oral steroids with resolution of her symptoms. Her pain returned at the conclusion of the steroid taper, and it was controlled with chronic subcutaneous methotrexate and adalimumab injections.

Sarcoidosis with Severe Bone Involvement: A Case Report and Literature Review

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of the lungs that commonly involves intrathoracic lymph nodes. Here, we report the case of a 68-year-old woman who complained of shortness of breath and had suffered from the enlargement of intrathoracic lymph nodes for 12 years, swelling of the right middle finger for 7 years, and nasal obstruction for 2 years. The damage to the phalange was aggravated continuously and a malignant lesion could not be excluded, thus leading to amputation of the right middle finger. Pathological data indicated chronic inflammatory granulomatous disease and anti-acid staining was negative. Examination of the paranasal sinuses indicated destruction of the sinonasal bone and the swollen mucosa. Combined with the elevated ratio of CD4+/CD8+ T cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and other results, the patient was finally diagnosed with sarcoidosis and received corticosteroid therapy. The shortness of breath and abnormality of the nose were significantly improved after treatment. Our case demonstrated the process of differential diagnosis for systemic granulomatous diseases, indicating the necessity of corticosteroid therapy for systematic sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis With Skeletal Involvement Masquerading as Metastatic Malignancy

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder characterized by noncaseating granuloma formation, which can affect any organ in the body; however, skeletal involvement is relatively uncommon. This case report presents a rare case of sarcoidosis primarily affecting the skeletal system in a 39-year-old man with a history of neurosarcoidosis. The patient presented with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weight loss, and lower back and pelvic pain, which were initially suspicious for malignancy. Computed tomography scans revealed lytic bone lesions and lymphadenopathy. However, a biopsy of a left inguinal lymph node confirmed necrotizing granulomatous lymphadenitis, which was consistent with necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis - a rare variant of sarcoidosis. The patient was treated with systemic corticosteroids, which led to clinical improvement. The prognosis of sarcoidosis is generally good, with spontaneous remission occurring in up to two-thirds of patients; however, some patients may develop chronic and/or progressive disease. In particular, patients with a history of neurosarcoidosis may be at an increased risk for chronic or recurrent disease. This case highlights the importance of considering sarcoidosis in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with nonspecific symptoms and lymphadenopathy, even in the absence of pulmonary involvement.

Imaging Plays a Key Role in the Diagnosis and Control of the Treatment of Bone Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown origin. The most frequent localizations are thoracic lymph nodes and/or parenchymal lung disease, nevertheless any other organ may be involved. Musculoskeletal sarcoidosis, previously considered a rare manifestation of the disease, is presently recognized with increasing frequency, due to the development of modern imaging modalities. The classical X-ray sign of bone sarcoidosis is the image of lace in the phalanges of the hands. Most other locations present with atypical radiological images. Therefore, they may mimic metastatic neoplastic disease, especially when they are the first sign of sarcoidosis not previously recognized. On such occasions, none of the imaging methods will give the correct diagnosis, histopathological verification, monitoring of lesions or clinical data in a patient with confirmed sarcoidosis are indicated. The article summarizes the current status of knowledge concerning the recognition and therapy of bone sarcoidosis. In addition, an illustrative case of patient with bone and bone marrow sarcoidosis is presented.

Acro-osteolysis: imaging, differential diagnosis, and disposition review

Acro-osteolysis is the osseous destruction of the hand or foot distal phalanges. The categories of the disease include terminal tuft, midshaft, or mixed types. Recognition of acro-osteolysis is straightforward on radiographs, but providing an accurate differential diagnosis and appropriately recommending advanced imaging or invasive tissue diagnosis can be more elusive. A radiologist's ability to provide advanced assessment can greatly aid clinicians in expedient diagnosis and management of the array of diseases presenting with acro-osteolysis.

Multiple bone lesions in a patient with fatigue: case report of bone sarcoidosis

Bone sarcoidosis is usually considered a rare manifestation of multisystemic sarcoidosis. With the growing use of more sensitive imaging techniques, such as ¹⁸F-FDG PET, the detection rate of bone involvement seems to be increasing. We describe the case of a woman presenting with fatigue and general malaise having multiple bone lesions on ¹⁸F-FDG PET. A broad range of differential diagnoses was considered, including malignancy, infections, metabolic diseases and primary bone tumours, which may have delayed the diagnosis. Diagnostic work-up eventually led to an anatomopathological diagnosis of bone sarcoidosis. Immunosuppressive therapy is often necessary since sarcoid bone lesions - even asymptomatic - generally appear in more extensive forms of the disease with other organ involvement.

[Hydroxychloroquine for non-severe extra-pulmonary sarcoidosis]

Sarcoidosis can develop into a chronic disease in about 30% of cases. When general treatment is indicated, corticosteroids are the first-line treatment. More than one third of patients treated with corticosteroids receive a steroid-sparing agent. Although methotrexate is the most commonly used sparing agent, synthetic antimalarials have been used for more than fifty years on the basis of small, randomised, therapeutic trials. Despite this low level of evidence, chloroquine or more often hydroxychloroquine are used in daily practice, particularly to treat skin, bone and joint sarcoidosis, as well as hypercalcemia and certain types of uveitis. This review summarises the state of knowledge on steroid-sparing therapy in sarcoidosis, particularly in its extra-pulmonary form. These data support the need for good quality therapeutic trials to validate the use of hydroxychloroquine in this specific indication.

Musculoskeletal Manifestations of Sarcoidosis

Since its initial description in the late 19th century, sarcoidosis has been extensively studied. Although the general mechanism of immune activation is known, many details especially in the context of disease associations are still missing. One of such associations is the musculoskeletal complications that are widely variable in terms of presentation and response to treatment. Sarcoidosis can involve the joints leading to acute and, less commonly chronic, arthritis. While acute arthritis is mostly self-resolving in nature, chronic arthritis may lead to deformity and destruction of the joint. Sarcoidosis can also involve the muscles, leading to different pathologies primarily categorized according to the clinical presentation, despite the efforts to find a new classification based on imaging, histological, and clinical findings. The bones can be directly and indirectly affected. Different types of bone lesions have been described, although around half of these patients remain asymptomatic. Osteoporosis, increased risk of fractures, hypercalcemia, and hypercalciuria are examples of the indirect effect of sarcoidosis on the bones, possibly contributed to elevated levels of calcitriol. Nevertheless, sarcoidosis can be associated with small-vessel, medium-vessel, and large vessel vasculitis, although it is frequently difficult to differentiate between the co-existence of a pure vasculitis and sarcoidosis and sarcoid vasculitis.

Sacroiliac joint in sarcoidosis on computed tomography: a monocentric retrospective study (SISTER)

Sacroiliitis and spondyloarthritis (SpA) have been associated to sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis bone involvement of the sacral or iliac bones has been reported to mimic SpA. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of structural sacroiliitis and structural changes of the sacroiliac joints (SIJ) in patients with sarcoidosis by abdominal-pelvic computed tomography (AP-CT). In this monocentric retrospective study, three blinded readers evaluated AP-CT that had already been performed on patients with sarcoidosis and classified them as normal, degenerative, or inflammatory. A consensus was reached for the divergent cases. Erosion, ankylosis, and sclerosis, classically associated with sacroiliitis, were noted. SpA was defined according to the ASAS 2009 classification criteria. We identified 217 patients with proven sarcoidosis who underwent AP-CT. Only three patients had sacroiliitis by CT and four had SpA, representing 1.38% and 1.85% of the patients, respectively. Degenerative SIJs represented 28.1% of patients and were significantly associated with age, at least one pregnancy, rural lifestyle, ankylosis, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, sclerosis, and the presence of osteophytes. Four patients had axial bone sarcoidosis. Sacroiliitis, SpA, and degenerative changes of the SIJ have been highlighted by AP-CT in patients with sarcoidosis. Osteoarthritis of the SIJ in sarcoidosis was associated with age, pregnancy, and rural lifestyle. Further studies are needed to assess the link between SpA and sarcoidosis.

How to Tackle the Diagnosis and Treatment in the Diverse Scenarios of Extrapulmonary Sarcoidosis

Extrapulmonary sarcoidosis occurs in 30–50% of cases of sarcoidosis, most often in association with pulmonary involvement, and virtually any organ can be involved. Its incidence depends according to the organs considered, clinical phenotype, and history of sarcoidosis, but also on epidemiological factors like age, sex, geographic ancestry, and socio-professional factors. The presentation, symptomatology, organ dysfunction, severity, and lethal risk vary from and to patient even at the level of the same organ. The presentation may be specific or not, and its occurrence is at variable times in the history of sarcoidosis from initial to delayed. There are schematically two types of presentation, one when pulmonary sarcoidosis is first discovered, the problem is then to detect extrapulmonary localizations and to assess their link with sarcoidosis, while the other presentation is when extrapulmonary manifestations are indicative of the disease with the need to promptly make the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. To improve diagnosis accuracy, extrapulmonary manifestations need to be known and a medical strategy is warranted to avoid both under- and over-diagnosis. An accurate estimation of impairment and risk linked to extrapulmonary sarcoidosis is essential to offer the best treatment. Most frequent extrapulmonary localizations are skin lesions, arthritis, uveitis, peripheral lymphadenopathy, and hepatic involvement. Potentially severe involvement may stem from the heart, nervous system, kidney, eye and larynx. There is a lack of randomized trials to support recommendations which are often derived from what is known for lung sarcoidosis and from the natural history of the disease at the level of the respective organ. The treatment needs to be holistic and personalized, taking into account not only extrapulmonary localizations but also lung involvement, parasarcoidosis syndrome if any, symptoms, quality of life, medical history, drugs contra-indications, and potential adverse events and patient preferences. The treatment is based on the use of anti-sarcoidosis drugs, on treatments related to organ dysfunction and supportive treatments. Multidisciplinary discussions and referral to sarcoidosis centers of excellence may be helpful for difficult diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Case report of osteolytic lesions in a patient with multisystem granulomatous disease

We present a case of a 70-year-old Caucasian woman with multisystem granulomatous disease involving her lungs, bones and lymph nodes. The patient initially presented with cervical lymphadenopathy and subsequently developed progressive breathlessness. Imaging revealed extensive mediastinal, hilar and intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy as well as bilateral pulmonary parenchymal infiltrates. Lymph node and lung biopsy confirmed non-necrotising granulomatous inflammation while a BAL showed scanty growth of Cryptococcus neoformans and moderate growth of Staphylococcus aureus The patient received intravenous ceftriaxone and had a good response to treatment. She also completed 3 months of oral fluconazole. Although a diagnosis of sarcoidosis was considered most likely, the patient was not initially started on systemic corticosteroids due to concern around possible infection and initial response to antimicrobials. However, her exercise tolerance gradually deteriorated. A craniofacial CT revealed multiple lytic lesions involving the skull and visualised cervical spine. Biopsy of a clivus lesion revealed non-necrotising granulomatous inflammation while fungal cultures and histopathological stains were negative. The patient was diagnosed with widespread sarcoidosis and she was initiated on prednisolone and methotrexate which led to marked clinical and radiological improvement.

Pelvic and Lumbar Pain Revealing Bone Sarcoidosis: A Case Report

A 54-years-old woman suffered from a bilateral pelvic and lumbar pain. She had a systemic investigation shows a diffuse bone lesions. A biopsy of iliac bone was done and revealed sarcoidosis. Bony manifestations of sarcoidosis are rare and challenging to diagnose. Our report shows that MRI with diffusion weighted sequences is a simple and non invasive technique to evaluate bone infiltration. It helps to distinguish inflammatory disease from metastatic lesions and to guide the osseous biopsy. Moreover, fluorodeoxyglucose PET scan, are useful in establishing the extent of damage and measuring disease activity.

Sarcoidosis mimicking metastases in an echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive non-small-lung cancer patient: A case report

BACKGROUND

Rearrangements of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene (ALK-positive) represent an oncogenic driver in approximately 3%-5% of non-small-lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease, and its reported incidence in Asia is 1 or less per 100000 people per year. The co-occurrence of sarcoidosis and ALK-positive NSCLC is rare, and ALK-positive lung cancer is likely to spread quickly. Therefore, the co-occurrence of sarcoidosis is more easily misdiagnosed as metastatic lung cancer by radiological examination.

CASE SUMMARY

A 50-year-old man had a nodule in the left superior lobe, many small nodules in left superior and right lungs, and enlarged bilateral hilar, mediastinal, and right supraclavicular lymph nodes. Computed tomography-guided pulmonary biopsy of the nodule in the left superior lobe revealed echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 gene-ALK positive NSCLC with concomitant noncaseating granuloma. This patient was treated with crizotinib. Thirty days later, a chest computed tomography scan revealed a dramatic decrease in the size of the left superior lobe nodule; however, the lesions in the right lung progressed. The right supraclavicular lymph nodes showed granulomas, and no tumor cells were identified in the specimens. The angiotensin-converting enzyme level was high. After 1 wk of methylprednisolone treatment, a significant response of all lesions was revealed. Following radical resection of the lung cancer, noncaseating granulomas were observed in both lung tissues and lymph nodes, which resulted in a diagnosis of echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-ALK positive NSCLC accompanied with sarcoidosis.

CONCLUSION

Our experience illustrates that pathological evidence is needed to confirm metastatic disease, especially when some suspected metastatic lesions are negative for malignancy.

Sarcoidosis: A Clinical Overview from Symptoms to Diagnosis

Sarcoidosis is a multi-system disease of unknown etiology characterized by the formation of granulomas in various organs. It affects people of all ethnic backgrounds and occurs at any time of life but is more frequent in African Americans and Scandinavians and in adults between 30 and 50 years of age. Sarcoidosis can affect any organ with a frequency varying according to ethnicity, sex and age. Intrathoracic involvement occurs in 90% of patients with symmetrical bilateral hilar adenopathy and/or diffuse lung micronodules, mainly along the lymphatic structures which are the most affected system. Among extrapulmonary manifestations, skin lesions, uveitis, liver or splenic involvement, peripheral and abdominal lymphadenopathy and peripheral arthritis are the most frequent with a prevalence of 25-50%. Finally, cardiac and neurological manifestations which can be the initial manifestation of sarcoidosis, as can be bilateral parotitis, nasosinusal or laryngeal signs, hypercalcemia and renal dysfunction, affect less than 10% of patients. The diagnosis is not standardized but is based on three major criteria: a compatible clinical and/or radiological presentation, the histological evidence of non-necrotizing granulomatous inflammation in one or more tissues and the exclusion of alternative causes of granulomatous disease. Certain clinical features are considered to be highly specific of the disease (e.g., Löfgren's syndrome, lupus pernio, Heerfordt's syndrome) and do not require histological confirmation. New diagnostic guidelines were recently published. Specific clinical criteria have been developed for the diagnosis of cardiac, neurological and ocular sarcoidosis. This article focuses on the clinical presentation and the common differentials that need to be considered when appropriate.

Musculoskeletal sarcoidosis: A single center experience over 15 years

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal (MSK) sarcoidosis presents with a variety of clinical phenotypes. Four subtypes of MSK sarcoidosis have been identified to date: Lofgren syndrome, chronic sarcoid arthritis, osseous sarcoidosis, sarcoid myopathy. Each subtype has been reported with varying incidence mainly due to lack of universal classification criteria.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective chart review of patients with MSK sarcoidosis at a single academic center between January 2000 and December 2014. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the proportion of patients with sarcoidosis who had the 4 MSK syndromes of interest, demographic characteristics and therapeutic agents used.

RESULTS

A cohort of 58 patients with MSK manifestations were identified among 1016 patients with sarcoidosis. Frequency of subtypes include: Lofgren syndrome 46.6%, osseous sarcoidosis 25.9%, chronic sarcoid arthritis 24.1% and sarcoid myopathy 6.9%. The cohort was predominantly female (43/58 patients, 74%) and Caucasian (48/58 patients, 82.8%). Mean age was 47.2 years. One patient had overlap of osseous sarcoidosis and chronic sarcoid arthritis, another patient initially had Lofgren syndrome and later developed chronic sarcoid arthritis. Sarcoid myopathy patients presented with myalgia more often than muscle weakness.

CONCLUSION

We identified a large cohort of MSK sarcoidosis and determined the prevalence of all 4 subtypes. In patients who do develop MSK manifestations of sarcoidosis, they are commonly a part of the initial presentation of sarcoidosis. There is an unmet need to establish standardized classification criteria for the 4 MSK sarcoidosis syndromes.

Extensive bony sarcoidosis of the head and neck region: a rare presentation

We present a rare case of sarcoidosis with extensive bony destruction of the maxillofacial and skull base bones. A 65-year-old woman was referred with an asymptomatic, non-healing dental socket. Examination revealed an oroantral fistula that was biopsied and repaired under general anaesthesia. Investigations included plain and cross-sectional imaging. Serological tests, in particular ACE, were normal. Histology showed benign florid granulomatous inflammation. At 6 months, the patient remained asymptomatic. She was re-referred 3 years later with further bony destruction of her maxilla and mandible. Repeat imaging showed intrathoracic lymphadenopathy and skull base involvement. Repeat biopsy confirmed granulomatous inflammation. Given the pulmonary, histological and radiological findings, a sarcoidosis diagnosis was made. Following multidisciplinary team meetings, the patient was treated with methotrexate and arrangements made for close monitoring. This case highlights the need for a consensus in identifying, treating and developing a follow-up protocol in such patients.

Concurrent diagnosis of oropharynx cancer and bone sarcoidosis mimicking metastasis

Bone location is uncommon in both sarcoidosis and in neck cancer (HNC). Diagnosis of a bone lesion is therefore challenging to distinguish its nature in a patient suffering from both diseases. We report the case of a 69-years-old woman referred for P16 positive HPV-HNC. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) showed T2 hypo-signal on iliac crest and spine. ¹⁸FDG-PET demonstrated radiotracer uptake on these locations suggesting bone metastasis. However, bone biopsy showed epithelioid granuloma without malignant cells compatible with sarcoidosis location. The diagnosis of both localized advanced HPV-HNC and systemic sarcoidosis (bone, central nervous system) were retained. The patient received corticosteroid regimen at 0.5mg/kg/day and Methotrexate for sarcoidosis and radiation and chemotherapy with platins for carcinoma. As granulomatous bone marrow infiltration may have an uptake on ¹⁸FDG-PET, bone sarcoidosis can mimic metastatic disease. In addition, MRI often fails to distinguish sarcoidosis lesions from metastatic lesion in bones. As no reliable imaging test can decipher both diseases, the description of our case reinforces the necessity to perform bone biopsy in a patient suffering from both conditions to expertise the nature of bone lesions.

Sarcoidosis: rarely a single system disorder

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease with a number of extrapulmonary manifestations, rarely limited to a single system. The objective of this review is to provide a overview of the systemic features of sarcoidosis and their surveillance.

Sarcoidosis is disease that can affect any organ system, resulting in a number of complications that can cause significant morbidity and mortality, including ophthalmological and cardiac complications. A number of investigations play a role in identifying manifestations of sarcoidosis. Respiratory physicians have an important role to play in identifying complications and monitoring patients with sarcoidosis, as they may be the first to encounter them.

Sarcoidosis can involve any organ system, with several complications, particularly ophthalmological and cardiac disease, that are important to recognise in clinical practice and monitor, no matter one's area of expertisehttps://bit.ly/36oLXxm

Osseous manifestations of sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a systemic multisystem inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. The disease is characterized by formation of non-caseating granulomas. The most common presentation is bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and lung infiltration, but the disease is very heterogeneous, with an unpredictable clinical course. Musculoskeletal manifestations are common. Bone involvement is less frequent, and usually occurs in patients with chronic multisystem course of the disease. They are most commonly found in the phalanges of hands and feet, and are usually bilateral. The skull, long bones, ribs, pelvis, and axial skeleton may also be affected. Osseous involvement may be asymptomatic but in some cases can cause a severe disability. Imaging techniques are important for diagnosis. Radiological investigations revealed sclerotic or destructive lesions (involving also joints), cystic and punched out lesions and cortical abnormalities. Biopsy is required for differential diagnosis with respect to malignancy. Treatment is a part of systemic therapy and is not needed in all cases. Glucocorticoids and TNF-α antagonists are used for management.

Sarcoidosis of the Skull: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Lesions of the skull make up a small but important part of neurosurgical practice. Several systemic disorders may involve the cranial vault including neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions. Sarcoidosis of the skull is a little-known cause of calvarial involvement that has been rarely reported in the literature. The available information about skull sarcoidosis (SS) is sparse and is not well described; for this reason, we consider that a detailed description of this uncommon condition is necessary.

METHODS

An illustrative case of SS is presented; in addition, a PubMed and Scopus search adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was performed to include studies reporting patients with SS. Different information was analyzed in these cases to describe the characteristics of this condition. Also, different sources of literature were analyzed to complete the description of this clinical entity.

RESULTS

The search yielded 22 cases of patients with SS showing a variety of clinical manifestations. All studies were case reports. Most patients diagnosed with SS had no previous history of systemic sarcoidosis. Different characteristics of SS are analyzed and described in this paper.

CONCLUSIONS

The information collected from this review shows that SS is a rare condition that frequently is observed in patients without previous diagnosis of sarcoidosis. SS may manifest in different ways, and even may be found incidentally in some patients. The diagnosis of SS should be considered when multiple lytic skull lesions are observed, especially in cases of patients without a previous history of malignancy.

Sarcoid Infiltration of the Skull with Epidural Extension: Case Report and Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease most often affecting the lungs, but extrapulmonary manifestations are also common. While virtually any organ system can be involved, skeletal manifestations are present in 1%-13% of cases. Skull lesions are even more rare. We found 14 case reports describing symptomatic skull lesions in patients with no prior history of sarcoid to better understand the symptomology and disease progression.

CASE DESCRIPTION

Here we present the case of a 57-year-old female with history of sarcoidosis and new-onset forgetfulness, confusion, and headaches who was found to have multiple skull lesions with epidural extension. On histopathologic examination of the excised lesion, noncaseating granulomas were observed and diagnoses of skull sarcoidosis and neurosarcoid were made. Since the patient was actively treated with corticosteroids, the plan was to initiate infliximab.

CONCLUSION

Sarcoidosis affecting the skull and central nervous system is exceedingly rare and can mimic many pathologies including metastatic bone disease, multiple myeloma, and eosinophilic granulomatosis. With a wide differential, surgical specimen is needed for concrete diagnosis and treatment. While the rates of skeletal involvement are low, a skeletal survey might be an important step in monitoring disease burden in patients, especially as lesions can be asymptomatic.

18F-FDG PET/CT in bone sarcoidosis: an observational study

OBJECTIVE

Bone sarcoidosis is usually rare. Imaging procedures such as fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) can reveal bone sarcoidosis with better sensitivity than conventional radiography. We aimed to describe bone sarcoidosis involvement detected with ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT.

METHODS

This was an observational retrospective study of individuals with pulmonary sarcoidosis who underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT. According to the ATS/ERS/WASOG criteria, sarcoidosis was diagnosed by the presence of clinical and/or imaging features of sarcoidosis and evidence of non-caseating epithelioid granulomas on a biopsy. We assessed clinical and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT characteristics.

RESULTS

Data for 85 patients with sarcoidosis (56.5% female, median age 47 [range 21-80] years) were analyzed. The median follow-up was 4 years. Among 56 patients, sarcoidosis occurred in more than three organs. According to ATS/ERS/WASOG criteria, bone sarcoidosis was diagnosed in 12 (14%) patients. The spine was the most commonly affected location (92%, n = 11), followed by the pelvis (67%, n = 8), sternum (33%, n = 4), humerus (25%, n = 3), and fingers (17%, n = 2). Only peripheral adenopathy was associated with bone sarcoidosis (p = 0.04). Seven patients had a ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT follow-up, all showing a decrease of bone lesions.

CONCLUSION

Bone sarcoidosis occurred in 14% of patients with sarcoidosis, affecting multiple bones and mostly the axial skeleton. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT seems a sensitive tool for diagnosis and follow-up of bone sarcoidosis.

TNF inhibitor treating osseous sarcoidosis and dactylitis: case and literature review

A 49-year-old African American male with multiorgan sarcoidosis presented with recurrent episodes of dactylitis and arthritis. Imaging had shown sarcoid osseous involvement of both hands. This would improve temporarily with high-dose corticosteroids but once tapered, he would experience recurrent flares. Despite several different oral immunosuppressant regimens, significant improvement was only observed after the initiation of adalimumab. Not only was adalimumab successful in symptomatic relief, in addition, patient continues to be in remission with no recurrent episodes of dactylitis. Prednisone was successfully tapered from 40 to 3 mg daily. This improvement with TNF inhibitors has been reported with other manifestations of sarcoidosis including pulmonary and ocular involvements. Osseous sarcoidosis is a very rare presentation, and little information regarding treatment with TNF inhibitors is available. TNF inhibitors should be considered as the next-step therapy in resistant cases of osseous sarcoidosis and dactylitis not responding to corticosteroids and traditional immunosuppressant therapy.

Resolution of Osseous Sarcoidosis with Methotrexate

Though a relatively uncommon manifestation of sarcoidosis, some clinicians are tasked with managing osseous involvement of disease, and the optimal treatment approach in this setting is not well established. Previous studies have shown variable efficacy for osseous sarcoidosis utilizing multiple agents alone or in combination, often using imaging follow-up in conjunction with clinical assessment to evaluate response to treatment. We present a case of widespread skeletal involvement of sarcoidosis without evidence of concurrent pulmonary disease demonstrating marked clinical improvement and near-complete resolution of imaging abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) following the use of methotrexate as the primary pharmacologic agent.

Musculoskeletal Manifestations of Sarcoidosis: A Review Article

BACKGROUND

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem inflammatory disease with an etiology that is not clearly understood. Amongst the different organs that may be affected, the lungs are the most common. Musculoskeletal manifestations of the disease are uncommon.

OBJECTIVES

They include arthropathy, bone lesions, or myopathy, all of which may occur as initial symptoms or develop during the course of the disease.

METHODS

Articular involvement my present as arthralgia or arthritis. Skeletal complications usually develop in the chronic state of the disease. Muscular disease is rare and usually asymptomatic. Appropriate imaging modalities including X-ray, MRI, FDG-PET/CT assist in the diagnosis of rheumatic sarcoidosis. However, biopsy is necessary for definite diagnosis.

RESULT AND CONCLUSION

In most cases of musculoskeletal involvement, NSAIDs and corticosteroids are sufficient for symptomatic management. For more resistant cases immunosuppressive drugs (i.e., methotrexate) and TNF- inhibitors are used. Our aim is to review various types of musculoskeletal involvement in sarcoidosis and their existing treatment options.

Osseous Sarcoidosis with a Solitary Lytic Skull Lesion: A Case Report

Bone sarcoidosis is an uncommon manifestation of the multisystemic disease with skull involvement being rare. We present the case of a 32-year-old female who was referred by her General Practitioner with a left calvarial lesion on a background of previous unilateral 7th nerve palsy and diabetes mellitus. Images demonstrated a left frontoparietal calvarial osteolytic lesion. She underwent resection by the neurosurgical team with histopathological study revealing noncaseating granulomas, consistent with sarcoidosis. Given absence of other systemic features of sarcoidosis, she did not undergo systemic treatment.

Osseous Sarcoma: Is Sarcoma the New Emperor of Maladies? Case-Series with Brief Review of the Literature

Sarcoidosis is multisystem disease that has been amusing physicians since its discovery in 1989 by Caesar Boeck. More than 10,000 articles have been published in the literature by far, and each time it affects a new organ. Involvement of bone has been recently discovered and because it is still a rare entity, it is important to focus on the presenting systems and also to be able to differentiate it from other closely related diseases including but not limited to tumor and other infectious processes. We describe two cases of osseous sarcoma in two relatively young but surprisingly asymptomatic patients.

High prevalence of spondyloarthritis in sarcoidosis patients with chronic back pain

INTRODUCTION

Chronic back pain (CBP) is a frequent complaint in patients with sarcoidosis, which challenges the clinician as multiples causes may potentially underlie this symptom. Interestingly, some reports suggest that the coexistence of sarcoidosis and spondyloarthritis (SpA) may be frequent. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of axial radiographic and non-radiographic SpA in patients with sarcoidosis and CBP and assess the association between patient characteristics and SpA.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study enrolled 64 patients with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis and CBP. Patients describing CBP underwent a full spine MRI and radiography. All patients with inflammatory CBP underwent complementary sacroiliac joint MRI. The diagnosis of axial SpA was based on the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society classification criteria.

RESULTS

Among the 64 patients (49 women) with sarcoidosis and CBP, 29 had inflammatory pain; 15/64 had a diagnosis of SpA (23.4% [95% CI: 13.7-35.6], 14/29 (48.3% [95% CI: 29.5-67.5] of those with inflammatory back pain). MRI sacroiliitis was found in 13 patients. On both univariate and multivariate analysis, SpA diagnosis was associated with inflammatory CBP (OR=28.5, 95% CI: 1.91-425.4) and sarcoidosis limited to the thorax (OR=6.74, 95% CI: 1.08-42.1). SpA was associated with young age (p = 0.0093) and male sex (p = 0.021) only on univariate analysis. Besides, 12/64 patients (18.8%, 95% CI: 10.1-30.5) had a diagnosis of sarcoidosis spine bone lesions, 7/64 (10.9%, 95% CI: 4.5-21.2) symptomatic vertebral fracture and 30/64 (46.9%, 95% CI: 34.3-59.8) degenerative spine.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of SpA is increased in sarcoidosis patients with inflammatory back pain. The systematic use of spine and sacroiliac MRI in this subgroup is justified. The association between other patient features and SpA needs further confirmation.

Musculoskeletal and pulmonary outcomes of sarcoidosis after initial presentation of osseous involvement

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the musculoskeletal and pulmonary outcomes of patients with osseous sarcoidosis.

METHODS

We identified 24 patients with osseous sarcoidosis and at least one year of follow-up after diagnosis (baseline). We collected outcome data at 1-year follow-up and last follow-up. We defined a composite outcome measure; worsening considered as worsening in any of the following 4 components compared to baseline: 1) osseous sarcoidosis symptoms, 2) musculoskeletal imaging of affected bone, 3) chest imaging, or 4) pulmonary function testing (PFT).

RESULTS

A minority of patients had a worsening composite outcome at 1-year (9/24, 38%) and last follow-up (5/24, 21%). When only considering musculoskeletal symptoms and imaging, only 25% (6/24) and 13% (3/24) of patients worsened compared to baseline at 1-year and last follow-up, respectively. Patients with a worsening composite overall outcome tended to be older at baseline than those without the outcome for both 1-year (54.3 years vs. 47.5 years, p=0.11) and last follow-up (55.0 years vs. 48.7 years; p=0.23), although these differences were non-significant. Treatment was not associated with worsening composite overall outcome at 1-year follow-up (p=0.40), but was significantly associated with decreased risk for worsening at last follow-up (p=0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In this retrospective cohort study of osseous sarcoidosis, most patients had a favorable outcome according to symptoms, musculoskeletal/chest imaging, and PFTs, even though only a minority were treated with glucocorticoids or DMARDs. These results suggest that the natural history of osseous sarcoidosis is often benign, although some patients experience clinical progression.

Radiologic Manifestations of Musculoskeletal Sarcoidosis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review article is to present the spectrum of abnormalities and multi-modality imaging evaluations in patients with musculoskeletal sarcoidosis.

RECENT FINDINGS

The articular manifestations of sarcoidosis are difficult to distinguish from those of the other inflammatory and degenerative arthropathies, and the muscular lesions in sarcoidosis are generally clinically silent and therefore often missed. Magnetic resonance imaging has shown these manifestations to be very common in active sarcoidosis, and should thus be included in the screening if musculoskeletal sarcoidosis is suspected. The clinician should consider magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of patients with sarcoidosis who have unexplained osteoarticular complaints if standard radiographs are negative. Furthermore, radiologists should include sarcoidosis in the differential diagnosis of musculoskeletal disease detected at magnetic resonance imaging in the appropriate clinical setting.

A review of the musculoskeletal manifestations of sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease of unknown aetiology that is characterized by granulomatous inflammation that can develop in almost any organ system. Musculoskeletal manifestations are seen in up to one-third of patients, ranging from arthralgia through to widespread destructive bone lesions. Inflammatory tendon lesions and periarticular swelling are more common than true joint synovitis. Despite advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, diagnosis remains challenging. Definitive diagnosis, irrespective of organ site involvement, hinges on histological confirmation of non-caseating granuloma combined with an appropriate clinical syndrome. Musculoskeletal involvement usually develops early in the disease course. Imaging modalities, particularly fluorodeoxyglucose PET, are helpful in delineating the extent of involvement and measuring disease activity. Bone involvement may only become apparent following isotope imaging. Corticosteroids remain the cornerstone of treatment. MTX is the steroid-sparing agent of choice unless there is renal involvement. Biologic therapies are sometimes used in severe disease, although the evidence base for efficacy is inconsistent.

Current concepts regarding calcium metabolism and bone health in sarcoidosis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Vitamin D supplementation is widespread used in the general population. In sarcoidosis, up to 50% of patients, especially postmenopausal women and those taking corticosteroids, show evidence of increased bone fragility. The purpose of this review is to provide an evidence-based rationale on how to treat sarcoidosis patients with bone health issues.

RECENT FINDINGS

Evidence from observational studies show that decreased 25-hydroxy vitamin D is common in sarcoidosis. However, the great majority of sarcoidosis patents have normal or often elevated levels of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (calcitriol), a marker associated with disease activity. High calcitriol levels may often be associated with hypercalcemia and hypercalcuria. The few interventional randomized controlled studies in the field, suggest that vitamin D supplementation may not be well tolerated because of hypercalcemia, moreover without substantial benefit on bone health and risk for fractures in these patients.

SUMMARY

Vitamin D supplementation may be withheld in sarcoidosis patients with bone fragility, unless calcitriol levels are below normal limits. A treating scheme is proposed.

Emergency Radiotherapy for Spinal Cord Compression due to Bone Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory granulomatous disease that is systemic, but bone involvement is uncommon. A 68-year-old man was referred to our hospital complaining of right shoulder pain with numbness. Computed tomography revealed systemic lymphadenopathy and multiple bone lesions. Because malignant lymphoma with a mass lesion protruding into the vertebral canal was considered, he underwent urgent radiotherapy. Thereafter, a needle biopsy of the left parasternal node was performed and showed epithelioid granulomas, confirming a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Since his neurologic symptoms improved, the patient was not given systemic corticosteroids. Radiotherapy may be useful for local control of bone sarcoidosis.