SCINTIGRAPHIC MANIFESTATIONS OF STERNAL CUPPING

Sternal abnormalities in sickle-cell disease have been documented by b one scintigraphy and radiography in patients with homozygous sickle-ce ll anemia, but not in patients with sickle-thalassemia. We present her e two unusual cases of sternal abnormalities in complicated sickle-cel l disease. One is an infant with radiographic findings of ''sternal cu pping'' and transient hypo-ossification of the sternum and sickle-thal assemia. The other patient is also a male infant with unusual, persist ent under-ossification of bone, in association with radiographic findi ngs of ''sternal cupping.'' The second patient also had a 4P-chromosom al defect (Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome) in which sternal hypoossification was described.