Purpose or Case Report: Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis (CRMO) is an auto-inflammatory disease that can affect multiple locations. Whole body MRI is an important tool to help identify subclinical multifocal disease and help monitor disease. As a referral center for CRMO, we have developed a successful CRMO whole body MRI imaging protocol which maximizes diagnostic information while minimizing scanner time.
Methods & Materials: - Briefly describe the clinical and imaging features of CRMO and why whole body MRI is important for patient care
- Describe our whole body imaging protocol, including specific sequences and times
- Explain our rational for how our whole body CRMO protocol is performed
- Discuss how we bill for whole body MRI scans for CRMO.
Results: We review our 4 year experience with whole body MRI exams for CRMO (over 80 studies) and describe a comprehensive imaging protocol that can be completed within 45 minutes.
Conclusions: Whole body MRI scan has become the standard of care for diagnosing and monitoring patients with CRMO. While many institutions may not have a large population of patients with CRMO, it is important that when these patients do get scanned they have an appropriate protocol that gathers the most diagnostic information while minimizing scanning time to provide the best patient care. We provide information to allow for other imaging centers to implement successful whole body MRI imaging programs for evaluation and management of patients with CRMO.