Sclerotic: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Sclerotic

Also written as: sclerosis, subchondral sclerosis, osteosclerotic, osteoblastic

Sclerotic means an area of bone looks denser and whiter than normal on X-ray or CT, because it contains more bone mineral.

Seen on: X-ray, CT, MRI

How it reads in a report

A 7 mm sclerotic focus in the right iliac bone with a brush-like border is consistent with a bone island.

What it means

Denser bone blocks more X-rays, so it looks whiter on X-ray and CT. Radiologists call such bone sclerotic. It often forms where bone is under extra stress, such as the surfaces of a worn joint, which is called subchondral sclerosis. It can also describe a single spot, called a sclerotic lesion or focus. On MRI, sclerotic bone usually looks dark.

When it matters

Sclerosis at a worn joint is a normal part of arthritis. A single sclerotic spot has many possible causes, and most are benign, such as a bone island, a small harmless patch of compact bone. In people with certain cancers, such as prostate or breast cancer, a new sclerotic spot is checked more carefully. Older scans, a bone scan or an MRI can help tell these apart.

Questions to ask your doctor

Is the sclerosis from arthritis, or is it a separate spot in the bone?
Does the spot have the typical look of a harmless bone island?
Do I need a bone scan, an MRI or a comparison with older images?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.