What is Osteopoikilia?
Osteopoikilia (congenital spotted multiple osteopathy, multiple sclerosing osteopathy). This is a systemic lesion of bones with foci of bone mass densification in the form of oval islands 2-10 mm in size, localized in the spongy part of the articular heads, pineal glands and metaphyses of the tubular bones. The diaphysis of the latter, as a rule, is not affected. Most often, islands of compacted bone mass are found in the bones of the wrist, tarsus, and long tubular horses. Very rarely, the bones of the skull, ribs, and lumbar vertebrae are involved in the process. Clavicles always remain intact.
Microscopic examination of the compaction site is a dense mass of bone substance with a trabecular pattern. The peripheral sections of the islet compaction merge with the cortical substance of the bone. In a number of observations, the relationship of osteopoikilia with disseminated skin fibrosis was noted.
Symptoms of Osteopoikilia
Clinically, the disease does not manifest itself and is diagnosed by chance during an X-ray examination performed for various reasons. More often affected men of all age groups. The disease is found even in embryos.
Diagnosis of Osteopoikilia
Osteopoikilia has such bright radiological symptoms that it does not require differential diagnosis with any other disease of the skeletal system. Congenital epiphyseal point dysplasia only vaguely resembles osteopoikilia, since this disease occurs only in childhood and is an abnormality of the ossification nucleus, which decomposes into a number of small point nucleoli. With true osteopoikilia diagnosed in childhood, the foci of compaction are localized regardless of the ossification nuclei, which have normal sizes and structure.