From the archives of the AFIP. Extraskeletal osseous and cartilaginous tumors of the extremities

Radiographics. 1993 Jul;13(4):853-84. doi: 10.1148/radiographics.13.4.8356273.

Abstract

Extraskeletal osseous and cartilaginous tumors and tumorlike conditions of the extremities can often be differentiated radiologically; for those that cannot, knowledge of the spectrum of lesions will allow a suitably ordered differential diagnosis. Of the osseous lesions--myositis ossificans, fibro-osseous pseudotumor, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, soft-tissue osteoma, and extraskeletal osteosarcoma--all but myositis ossificans are relatively rare. Myositis ossificans has a distinct mineralization pattern that can be observed radiologically as a peripheral rim of lamellar bone. Fibro-osseous pseudotumor typically occurs in the digits of the hand and lacks the well-defined zoning pattern of myositis ossificans. The cartilaginous entities include the true tumors, soft-tissue chondroma and extraskeletal chondrosarcoma, and the tumorlike process, synovial osteochondromatosis. The tumors are relatively rare; synovial osteochondromatosis commonly affects middle-aged men, especially in the knee, and is associated with osteoarthritis. The differential diagnosis for these extraskeletal osseous and cartilaginous lesions includes soft-tissue sarcoma, benign mesenchymoma, malignant mesenchymoma (rare), calcified tophi in gout, melorheostosis (rare), pilomatricoma (rare), and tumoral calcinosis (rare).

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Chondroma / diagnosis
  • Chondroma / diagnostic imaging
  • Chondroma / pathology
  • Chondromatosis, Synovial / diagnosis
  • Chondromatosis, Synovial / diagnostic imaging
  • Chondromatosis, Synovial / pathology
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Extremities* / diagnostic imaging
  • Extremities* / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myositis Ossificans / diagnosis*
  • Myositis Ossificans / diagnostic imaging
  • Myositis Ossificans / pathology
  • Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Osteoma / diagnosis
  • Osteoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Osteoma / pathology
  • Osteosarcoma / diagnosis
  • Osteosarcoma / diagnostic imaging
  • Osteosarcoma / pathology
  • Soft Tissue Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Soft Tissue Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Soft Tissue Neoplasms / pathology
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed