Avascular necrosis of two contiguous vertebral bodies - A case report

Avascular necrosis of the vertebral body is extremely uncommon with majority of reported cases being secondary to traumatic compressive fractures. We describe the imaging findings of AVN of two contiguous lumbar vertebrae following osteoporotic compression fracture in an elderly patient with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis which was confirmed on histopathological examination. The affection of two adjacent vertebrae and their intervening disc was an atypical feature and prompted us to consider neoplastic condition in the differential diagnosis.