MRI of soft tissue abnormalities: a primary cause of sickle cell crisis.

The early manifestations of sickle cell crisis in soft tissues are important to recognize, though rarely manifest on radiographs and difficult to evaluate on computed tomography and bone scans. Documentation is critical, however, if appropriate judgments as to emergency treatment versus conservative measures are to be made. Seventeen adults seen in the emergency room or hospitalized in presumed sickle cells crisis underwent magnetic resonance imaging within 24-72 h of presentation. Results indicate that magnetic resonance imaging is a sensitive modality for documenting early soft tissue pathology which may be the predominant or sole cause of sickle cell crisis.