Dual-Energy CT of Urate Deposits in Costal Cartilage and Intervertebral Disks of Patients With Tophaceous Gout and Age-Matched Controls.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether monosodium urate (MSU) deposits could be identified within the abdomen and axial skeleton of patients with tophaceous gout using dual-energy CT (DECT). DECT of the abdomen, chest wall, and spine revealed extensive MSU deposits in costal cartilages and, to a lesser extent, intervertebral disks in the male patients with gout in our study. These were quantified volumetrically. However, age-matched control subjects showed similar deposits, indicating this was not a disease-specific finding. Thus, MSU deposition in the axial skeleton may be physiologic in middle-aged men.