Presentation
Occasional finding
Patient Data
Large, eccentrically located expansile lesion at the distal fibula metaphysis with thin-sclerotic cortical borders and trabeculations.
Axial and sagittal T2-weighted non-fat-suppressed reveals cystic hyperintense mass at the distal fibula metaphysis with fluid–fluid levels.
There is a small area of high signal in T1-weighted image that represents areas of blood of variable age.
Case Discussion
On plain film X-ray, ABCs classically appear as eccentrically located radiolucent cystic lesions circumscribed by a thin layer of the cortical bone. Trabeculations within the lesion can impart a multi-locular appearance, which has been colloquially described as a “soap bubble appearance.”
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can delineate “fluid-fluid levels,” which, in ABCs, represent the layering of blood of differing densities atop one another. MRI can reveal also internal septations, peri-lesional extension, and edema.
The signs described are not pathognomonic for ABC because other lesions such as unicameral osseous cysts, giant cell tumors, osteoblastoma and telangiectatic osteosarcoma may show these characteristics.
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.