FDG-PET/CT Demonstration of Baastrup Disease (“Kissing” Spine)

Baastrup disease, also known as spinous process impingement syndrome or more commonly referred to as “kissing” spine, is characterized by close apposition of contiguous spinous processes in the lumbar spine and reactive bone sclerosis and local inflammatory changes. This clinical entity typically affects elderly patients with degenerative disc disease and/or hyperlordosis, as both conditions may result in chronic contact between adjacent spinous processes. In the case presented, PET/CT was able to correctly characterize and localize the F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake between 2 adjacent spinous processes in a patient with lung opacity suspicious for cancer, thus excluding the possibility of a spinal metastasis.