Scheuermann Disease

  • Etiology: Repeated vertical trauma causes nucleus pulposus to migrate through weak point between ring apophysis and vertebral endplate to produce avascular necrosis of vertebral ring apophysis and avulsion fracture of endplate
  • Imaging:
    — Involves thoracic spine (more frequently) and lumbar spine
    — Intravertebral disc herniation (Schmorl nodes)
    — Anterior vertebral body wedging
    — Disc space narrowing
    — Defects in anterosuperior and anteroinferior aspects of vertebral bodies = anterior disc herniation
  • Note: To make diagnosis need wedging of greater than 5 degrees of three or more contiguous vertebral bodies and increased kyphosis of greater than 40 degrees
  • DDX:
  • Complications:
  • Treatment:
  • Clinical:

Radiology Cases of Scheuermann Disease

Radiology Cases of Scheuermann Disease of the Thoracic Spine

Radiograph and CT of Scheuermann disease
Lateral scout radiograph and 2D sagittal reconstruction of the lumbar spine from a CT of the abdomen shows anterior wedging and Schmorl nodes deformities of the T8, T9 and T10 vertebral bodies along with disc space narrowing at those levels.

Radiology Cases of Scheuermann Disease of the Lumbar Spine

Radiograph of Scheuermann disease
Lateral radiograph of the lumbar spine shows defects in anterosuperior and anteroinferior aspects of the L1-L4 vertebral bodies due to anterior disk herniation along with mild Schmorl nodes deformities and mild disc space narrowing at these levels.