title: Fine needle aspiration cytology of focal myositis: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Focal myositis is an unusual inflammatwy lesion of the skeletal muscle first described by Heffizer. It is a benign condition and usually involves the muscles of the limbs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A man presented with a palpable mass in the left leg of 6 months' duration. Nuclear magnetic resonance of the leg showed a mass in the tibial muscle; the presumptive diagnosis was sarcoma of the muscle. Smears showed inflammatory cells, skeletal muscle fibers with degenerative and regenerative changes, and fibrous tissue, suggesting a diagnosis of focal myositis. An incisional muscle biopsy was performed, confirming the diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Focal myositis should always he considered when aspirating muscle masses because it is a clinical mimic of a neoplasm. The prognosis is good, and all cases reported in the literature were self-limiting and gradually resolved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hospital San Agustín, Avilés, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinto Blázquez
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Velasco Alonso
authors.forename: Carmen L Menendez
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Menendez
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alonso de la Campa
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astudillo Gonzalez
mesh_terms: D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D009220:Myositis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity