R. Kayser et al., Vertebral collapse and normal peripheral blood cell count at the onset of acute lymphatic leukemia in childhood, J PED ORT B, 9(1), 2000, pp. 55-57
Acute lymphatic leukemia presenting with bone pain and spine involvement is
a recognized clinicopathologic complex that can mimic a wide range of orth
opaedic conditions. Bone pain as the presenting complaint is common, with a
reported incidence of 27% to 50%. Radiologic abnormalities associated with
leukemia in children has been described previously. In the literature, the
incidence of spinal involvement is controversial, but there is agreement t
hat the spine is less commonly involved than are the long bones. At the ons
et of the disease, only 10% of children have normal peripheral blood counts
. If the:patient has spinal involvement and a normal leukocyte count, the d
iagnosis is often unclear. Only three of these patients have been described
in the literature; this article adds one more patient with acute lymphatic
leukemia with back pain as the:main symptom, vertebral collapse, and a nor
mal peripheral blood cell count at the time of initial presentation. It ill
ustrates that delay in diagnosis frequently occurs, with the classic featur
es of the disease being uniformly absent.