Musculoskeletal Imaging

Spondylopathy

a general term indicating a disorder of the vertebrae. Various forms may occur in patients with paralysis, including neuropathic osteoarthropathy (disc space loss, bone sclerosis, fragmentation, subluxation, osteophytosis) and development of bony outgrowths of the spine. In some patients, improperly healed fractures may lead to formation of paraspinal masses.

An erosive spondylopathy may occur either as an isolated process or as a component of ankylosing spondylitis. In the latter instance, focal areas of bone erosion and sclerosis of both the central and peripheral areas of multiple discovertebral junctions are observed.

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