Acromegaly

1
Acromegaly

• Overgrowth of bone and soft tissues due to
  hypersecretion of growth hormone
• Increase in enchondral bone formation at the
  physes (in the immature skeleton) and at
  cartilage-bone junctions in adults
• Radiologic findings in the skull include
  enlargement of the paranasal sinuses, sella
  turcica, thickening of the cranial vault,
  enlargement of the mandible and hypercementosis
  of the teeth.

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Acromegaly

• In the hands and wrists, patients with acromegaly
  often have
• thickening of the soft tissues
• thickening and squaring of the phalanges and
  metacarpals
• overtubulation of the phalanges, and widened
  articular spaces
• osseous proliferations at tendon and ligament
  attachments
• prominence of the ungual tufts

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3
Acromegaly

• Articular abnormalities in the appendicular
  skeleton typically affect the knees, hips and
  shoulders
• Thickening of the articular cartilage can lead to
  early radiographic findings of relative widening
  of the joint space
• Later in the disease process, the alteration in
  cartilage morphology leads to degenerative
  changes, similar to those of primary
  osteoarthritis

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