Regional migratory osteoporosis

Abstract

Regional migratory osteoporosis (RMO) is an uncommon disease characterised by a migrating arthralgia involving the weight bearing joints of the lower limb. The typical imaging findings on radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and bone scintigraphy are described and illustrated. Men in their fifth and sixth decades of life are most commonly affected. The most common presentation is with proximal to distal spread in the lower limb. The world literature has been reviewed which has revealed 63 documented cases of regional osteoporosis or bone marrow oedema with migratory symptoms. Most of these cases have not been labelled as RMO and therefore the condition is probably under-diagnosed. The radiology of RMO is indistinguishable from transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH) except for the migratory symptoms and the two conditions are likely to be part of the same spectrum of disease. Systemic osteoporosis is a more recently recognised accompanying feature that hints at an underlying aetiology and an approach to the management of this condition.