CT findings of bone metastasis

Computed tomograms of 150 cases with bone metastasis of various malignant neoplastic diseases are reviewed. According to CT findings bone metastasis is classified into six types, namely osteoblastic, mixed, osteolytic with sclerotic rim, osteolytic with sclerotic center, osteolytic, and infiltrative. Presumably many bone metastases show initially osteoblatic type on CT, and change progressively to mixed type or osteolytic type. If chemotherapy or radiotherapy is effective for bone metastasis, CT demonstrates changes of inverse direction. In detection of bone metastasis CT is superior to radionuclide bone scan. To find out the bone metastasis CT of cancer patients must be evaluated with bone window. (author)