Background. Skeletal abnormalities are common in sickle cell anemia. I
schemia, infarction, and growth disturbance of the thoracic and lumbar
vertebral bodies are among the most common abnormalities, and can sug
gest the diagnosis radiographically. Design and patients. We recently
encountered two adult patients in whom vertebrae had grown abnormally
in height adjacent to infarcted short vertebrae. We then reviewed the
thoracic and lumbar spine radiographs of 54 more adult patients with s
ickle cell anemia. Results and conclusion. A total of eight patients (
14%) displayed infarcted vertebrae with compensatory vertical growth o
f at least one adjacent vertebrae. These resemble the elongated verteb
ral bodies associated with other conditions. We can find no prior repo
rt of this finding in association with sickle cell anemia.