Scintigraphy in osteitis condensans ilii

A 42-year-old asymptomatic woman presented for a bone scan after excision of a carcinoma of the left breast with axillary lymph node metastases. Her last pregnancy had been complicated by back pain, which resolved spontaneously. Physical examination was unremarkable. Bone scintigraphy showed increased uptake in the right sacroiliac joint, thought to be the result of either a solitary metastatic deposit or sacroiliitis. Plain films showed diffuse sclerosis of the right ilium and adjacent sacroiliac joint. Computed tomography revealed sclerosis around the sacroiliac joint with sparing of the joint space and no evidence of erosions. This was thought to be the characteristic change of osteitis condensans ilii (OCI).