Bone Oedema Causes and Characteristics

Inflammatory and Infectious Causes

Chronic non-bacterial osteitis (CNO) presents with bone marrow oedema as an early and activity-related disease feature, particularly in typical skeletal sites including the anterior chest wall, spine, and mandible 1, 3
Osteomyelitis causes bone marrow oedema with increased signal on T2 and STIR MRI sequences 4, 5
Charcot arthropathy in diabetic patients demonstrates bone marrow oedema that can be difficult to distinguish from superimposed osteomyelitis 4

Acute trauma and bone fractures produce bone marrow oedema that typically resolves within 1-3 months 6, 7
Vertebral compression fractures show vertebral body oedema on fluid-sensitive MRI sequences (STIR or fat-saturated T2-weighted imaging) 6, 7

Osteonecrosis causes bone marrow oedema around the focus of necrosis, with increased risk for femoral head collapse when associated with increased joint effusion and extensive bone marrow oedema 2, 8, 9

Malignant bone tumors can present with bone marrow oedema, particularly when there is cortical destruction or rapid growth 1, 3

Bone marrow oedema lacks specificity because it occurs in multiple conditions and can even be seen in healthy individuals 1, 3
The American College of Radiology recommends correlating the pattern of bone marrow oedema with anatomical location, clinical context, and associated imaging findings for diagnosis 1, 2, 4
MRI with T2-weighted and STIR sequences is the preferred imaging modality for demonstrating bone marrow oedema 4