title: Knee popping and clicking in a pediatric athlete: meniscal injury or sports tumor?
abstract: This case report presents a teenage patient who initially was thought to have a sports-related injury but ultimately was diagnosed with a primary soft tissue tumor. A previously healthy 16-year-old softball player presented with a history of left knee joint line pain, clicking, and swelling. The patient was presumed to have a lateral meniscus tear. However, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an intra-articular mass. Arthroscopy revealed a 2.5- × 1.5-cm firm pedicular mass in the lateral joint. Histological exam demonstrated localized pigmented villonodular synovitis. The patient healed uneventfully and returned to sporting activities. This report re-emphasizes the possibility that "sports tumors" can mimic symptoms of a meniscal tear in young athletes.
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Penn State College of Medicine, Milton Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Plakke
authors: William L
authors: WL
authors: Hennrikus
authors: Elizabeth E
authors: EE
authors: Frauenhoffer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001182:Arthroscopy; D001484:Baseball / Q000293:injuries*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013586:Synovitis, Pigmented Villonodular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries