Fluid-fluid level containing bone lesions

Last revised by Henry Knipe on 1 Sep 2022

Fluid-fluid level containing bone lesions are best seen on MRI, although with narrow window width they can also be appreciated on CT.

Epidemiology

Their prevalence is estimated at ~3% of bone and soft tissue tumors 1.

Differential diagnosis

Their presence is non-specific, as they are seen in both benign and malignant lesions:

There is a mnemonic for fluid-fluid levels on MRI.

ADVERTISEMENT: Supporters see fewer/no ads

Cases and figures

  • Case 1: aneurysmal bone cyst
    Drag here to reorder.
  • Case 2: adamantinoma
    Drag here to reorder.
  • Case 3: aneurysmal bone cyst
    Drag here to reorder.
  • Case 4: ABC of calcaneus
    Drag here to reorder.
  • Case 5: telangiectatic osteosarcoma
    Drag here to reorder.
  • Case 6: unicameral bone cyst with fracture
    Drag here to reorder.
  • Updating… Please wait.

     Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

     Thank you for updating your details.