Caption

Paget's disease. Magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the thoracic spine of a woman aged 43 years suffering from Paget's disease, showing deformation of some of the vertebrae. Paget's disease is a chronic disease of bone, which becomes thickened and deformed by excessive and disorganised resorption and formation of bone. X- rays reveal patchy sclerosis (tissue hardening). The bones most commonly affected are the skull, spine, and pelvis. Pagetic bone may be hard or soft but either type fractures easily. Severe pain may be caused by the bone itself, by an associated fracture or by arthritis in nearby joints.