Imaging of osteo-articular disorders of the anterior chest wall

The purpose of this paper is to present a pictorial display of osseous and articular lesions of the anterior chest wall. The role of CT and MR imaging in such disorders is emphasized. Imaging of the anterior thoracic wall by plain films is particularly difficult. However numerous disorders may be encountered. They include inflammatory hyperostosis and sclerosis of the clavicle and the sternum, condensing osteitis and post-traumatic osteolysis of the clavicle, radiation osteitis of the sternum and the ribs, septic arthritis of the sterno-clavicular joint, primary and secondary tumors of the sternum and the ribs. We illustrate a spectrum of such lesions in which CT and MR imaging provides acute evaluation of both soft tissue and bone details. (authors)