Amyloidosis of the spine in a patient on long-term hemodialysis.

A 54-year-old man with a history of renal failure treated with hemodialysis for over 10 years presented with clinical signs and symptoms and plain radiographic, computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging features of cervical vertebral osteomyelitis with spinal cord compression. Decompressive surgery revealed amyloid deposition. In the setting of chronic hemodialysis, differentiation between amyloid deposition and osteomyelitis may not be possible on an imaging basis necessitating biopsy for diagnosis.