Brodie's abscess revisited.
Radiology plays an important role in the diagnosis of a Brodie's abscess, as can be difficult for a clinician to identify the disease using clinical information alone. A Brodie's abscess is clinically difficult to diagnose because patients typically have mild local symptoms, few or no constitutional symptoms, and near normal laboratory values. Furthermore, a Brodie's abscess may mimic various benign and malignant conditions, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment. The most frequently made incorrect diagnosis is that of a primary bone tumor. The present pictorial review summarizes imaging clues to the diagnosis of a Brodie's abscess, such as the serpentine sign on conventional radiographs and the penumbra sign seen on Magnetic Resonance (MR) images. A Brodie's abscess is difficult to diagnose, however, once diagnosed, it is a curable disease with a 100% cure rate.
Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. P.R.Kornaat@lumc.nl
P R
PR
Kornaat
M
M
Camerlinck
F M
FM
Vanhoenacker
G
G
De Praeter
H M
HM
Kroon
D000038:Abscess / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D011859:Radiography