Background and Aim: Hematopoietic malignancies like leukemia and lymphoma may present several complications. This study aimed to evaluate the panoramic radiographic features of patients with acute leukemia and lymphoma who are candidates for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 63 panoramic radiographs of HSCT candidates (25 females, 38 males, between 16-75 years) and 62 healthy individuals (25 females, 37 males, between 16-73 years) were evaluated in Shiraz, Iran. Osteoporosis, pathological radiolucencies, pathological calcifications, cortical bone thickness, periodontal disease, condylar degeneration, and other alveolar bone findings were recorded. Data were analyzed by the Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and Mann-Whitney U tests (alpha=0.05).
Results: The thickness of nasal floor cortical bone, mandibular inferior cortex, and mandibular canal cortex was significantly lower in the patient group than the healthy group (P<0.05). Other abnormalities such as changes in periodontal ligament width, lamina dura thickness, and condylar degeneration were also more prevalent in HSCT patients compared to healthy controls (P≤0.05).
Conclusion: It appears that panoramic views provide reliable information for detection of osteopenia and osteoporosis in HSCT patients. This may reduce the use of expensive and invasive diagnostic workups with radiation exposure to detect low bone density in this group of compromised patients.