title: Radiological study of 12 high-grade surface osteosarcomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of our study was to report the imaging characteristics of 12 high-grade surface osteosarcomas, diagnosed, staged, treated and followed up in a single institution.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 3 females and 9 males ranging in age from 15 to 34 years (mean 20 years). The radiological documents (plain films in all patients, CT scans in 8 and MR images in 6) were reviewed and compared with the histological findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Disease sites were the femur (7), tibia (4) and fibula (1). Tumor size varied from 6 to 17 cm. The cortex appeared normal in two patients, thick in seven and/or thin in five. The tumor showed dense ossification in all except in one case where ossification was slight. Minimal marrow involvement was visible in two cases on CT/MRI. Only one case exhibited a satellite nodule in a previous biopsy tract. Two cases radiologically mimicked periosteal osteosarcoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-grade surface osteosarcomas are often characterized by the presence of an ossified mass contiguous with and originating from the cortical bone with no or minimal marrow involvement.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Ricerca Oncologica, Institute Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy. vanel@igr.fr
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanel
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Picci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Paolis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mercuri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005266:Femoral Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005360:Fibula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D013977:Tibia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed