Role of MRI in the Diagnosis of Different Bone Marrow Lesions in Pediatric Patients with Hematological Malignancies

Abstract

ematological malignancies are considered a major health problem in pediatric patients; they are considered one of the leading causes of pediatric morbidity. Hematologic malignancies are a heterogeneous group of diseases including myeloid neoplasms, lymphoid neoplasms (leukemia and lymphoma) and plasma cell disorders. Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells that arises in bone marrow. It may be either acute or chronic, depending on the maturity of the cells of origin and the disease course if untreated. Lymphoma arises in the lymphatic organs (ie, lymph nodes, spleen) and lymphatic ducts The bone marrow is one of the largest organs of human body, it is formed of various components that undergo physiological changes all through life especially during childhood, being one of the commonest sites of involvement as well as recurrence, bone marrow is considered a diagnostic dilemma in cases of hematological malignancies.Red marrow has to distinguished from abnormal marrow and this is one of the main challenges for bone marrow imaging. It is imperative to know where to expect red marrow in each age group or where red marrow may reappear under certain conditions. MRI is a non invasive tool to effectively study bone marrow involvement in cases with hematological malignanc