Rare sites of extramedullary hematopoiesis involving the bilateral orbits, paranasal sinuses and dura in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract

Hematopoiesis usually occurs in bone marrow in adults and when it occurs at sites except for bone marrow, it is termed as extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH). It is usually found in organs, which are vigorously involved in fetal hematopoiesis, including the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Extramedullary hematopoiesis is a complication of a number of myeloproliferative disorders. MR imaging of the brain was performed on a patient with right orbital swelling with a known myeloproliferative disorder. The study revealed symmetric, bilateral enhancing masses in the extra-conal spaces and paranasal sinuses and multiple well-defined lobulated and ovoid meningeal deposits over bilateral cerebral convexities with diffuse pachymeningeal thickening.