PET/CT and MRI of intra-osseous haemangioma of the tibia

Imaging features of intraosseous hemangiomas: beyond the mobile spine and calvarium

OBJECTIVE

Describe imaging features of intraosseous hemangiomas located outside of the mobile spine and calvarium.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Imaging and medical records were retrospectively reviewed for cases of intraosseous hemangiomas located outside of the calvarium and mobile spine. Evaluation included patient demographics, histologic confirmation, and imaging characteristics.

RESULTS

Thirty-six patients were included (25 F, 11 M; mean age 54 ± 17 years, range 10-84 years) with 37 total lesions (70% axial and 30% appendicular skeleton). Mixed lytic and sclerotic features were identified on 83-85% radiographs and CTs. Amorphous increased density mimicking osteoid matrix was present on 38-45% radiographs and CTs. Classic honeycomb or radial pattern was identified on 45% of CTs. Osseous expansion and cortical permeation were common features. CT identified periosteal reaction in 24% of lesions. All hemangiomas had heterogeneous MRI signal and most moderately or avidly enhanced. Intralesional fat was identified on 78% MRIs, often as a minor component and only detected on 24% of CTs. A soft tissue mass was present on 52% of MRIs. FDG PET/CT mean SUVmax of 3.2 ± 0.6 (range 1.9-5.0). Lesional FDG activity relative to background marrow was increased in 75% of lesions. Lesions with cortical permeation had higher metabolic activity versus those without (3.5 ± 0.7 versus 2.2 ± 0.3, p = 0.041).

CONCLUSION

Intraosseous hemangiomas outside of the mobile spine and calvarium demonstrate more aggressive imaging features compared to vertebral hemangiomas, including cortical permeation, soft tissue mass, amorphous increased density mimicking osteoid matrix, and increased FDG activity.

Jejunal Cavernous Hemangioma Mimicking Malignancy With Increased Activity on 18 F-FDG PET/CT

ABSTRACT

A 50-year-old woman underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT to evaluate possible abdominal malignancy, which was revealed by CT. The images showed a large cystic-solid lesion with peripherally increased FDG activity in the left mid-abdomen. Histopathology of the excised lesion confirmed a jejunal cavernous hemangioma. We reported a rare case of jejunal cavernous hemangioma with FDG accumulation on PET/CT, mimicking malignancy.

Murine models of orthopedic infection featuring Staphylococcus aureus biofilm

Introduction: Osteomyelitis remains a major clinical challenge. Many published rodent fracture infection models are costly compared with murine models for rapid screening and proof-of-concept studies. We aimed to develop a dependable and cost-effective murine bone infection model that mimics bacterial bone infections associated with biofilm and metal implants. Methods: Tibial drilled hole (TDH) and needle insertion surgery (NIS) infection models were compared in C57BL/6 mice (female, N = 150 ). Metal pins were inserted selectively into the medullary canal adjacent to the defect sites on the metaphysis. Free Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 12600) or biofilm suspension (ATCC 25923) was locally inoculated. Animals were monitored for physiological or radiographic evidence of infection without prophylactic antibiotics for up to 14 d. At the end point, bone swabs, soft-tissue biopsies, and metal pins were taken for cultures. X-ray and micro-CT scans were performed along with histology analysis. Results: TDH and NIS both achieved a 100 % infection rate in tibiae when a metal implant was present with injection of free bacteria. In the absence of an implant, inoculation with a bacterial biofilm still induced a 40 %-50 % infection rate. In contrast, freely suspended bacteria and no implant consistently showed lower or negligible infection rates. Micro-CT analysis confirmed that biofilm infection caused local bone loss even without a metal implant as a nidus. Although a metal surface permissive for biofilm formation is impermeable to create progressive bone infections in animal models, the metal implant can be dismissed if a bacterial biofilm is used. Conclusion: These models have a high potential utility for modeling surgery-related osteomyelitis, with NIS being simpler to perform than TDH.

Imaging features of hemangioma in long tubular bones

Background

To investigate the imaging features of hemangiomas in long tabular bones for better diagnosis.

Methods

Twenty-four patients with long bone hemangiomas confirmed by pathology were enrolled. Nineteen patients had plain radiography, fourteen patients had computed tomography (CT) and eleven had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The hemangioma was divided into medullary [13], periosteal [6] and intracortical type [5].

Results

Among 19 patients with plain radiography, eleven patients were medullary, three periosteal, and five intracortical. In the medullary type, the lesion was primarily osteolytic, including five cases with irregular and unclear rims and one lesion having osteosclerotic and unclear rims. In three patients with the periosteal type, the lesion had clear rims with involvement of the cortical bone in the form of bone defect, including two cases with local thickened bone periosteum and one case having expansile periosteum. Five intracortical hemangiomas had intracortical osteolytic lesions with clear margins. Among 14 patients with CT imaging, 8 cases were medullary, three periosteal, and three intracortical. Among 8 medullary hemangiomas, one had ground glass opacity, and seven had osteolytic, expansile lesions like soft tissue density with no calcification. In three periosteal cases, the lesion was osteolytic with thickened periosteum and narrowed medullary cavity. In three intracortical hemangiomas, the lesion was of even soft tissue density with no calcification. Among 11 patients with MRI imaging, seven were medullary, two periosteal, and two intracortical. Among 7 medullary lesions, six were of hypointense signal on T1WI and hyperintensesignal on T2 WI. In two periosteal cases, the periosteum was thickened, with one case being of equal signal, and the other having no signal. Two intracortical hemangiomas were both of slightly low signal on T1WI but hyperintense signal on T2WI.

Conclusions

The long bone hemangiomas had characteristic cystic honeycomb-like presentations in plain radiograph. CT and MRI imagings are helpful for diagnosis of hemangiomas in long bone.

Huge Intraosseous Tibial Haemangioma Managed with Embolisation, Excision and Fibular Ilizarov Reconstruction: A Case Report

Aim

Our aim is to report the successful treatment of an intraosseous haemangioma of tibia with an atypical presentation through a multidisciplinary approach of preoperative embolisation, a subtotal resection of the tibia and subsequent reconstruction with the Ilizarov medial fibular translation technique.

Background

En bloc excision is the treatment of choice for large tumours of the tibia. However, there is no single recommended method for the reconstruction of the resulting bony defect.

Case

A 22-year-old female presented with a massive intraosseous haemangioma of the entire tibia. Sequential, multimodal treatment consisted of (1) preembolisation, (2) en bloc resection and (3) reconstruction of the extensive skeletal defect via the Ilizarov method of fibular medialisation. Radiologic union occurred at 6 months and graft hypertrophy at 22 months. At 45 months, the patient was fully weight-bearing without need for an assistive device.

Conclusion

Resection and reconstruction of a large intraosseous haemangioma of the tibia can be treated successfully using a well-planned sequential management of embolisation, resection and Ilizarov fibular grafting.

Significance

This report highlights the successful management of an unusually extensive and difficult tumour through appropriate and meticulous perioperative multidisciplinary planning, execution and follow-up.

How to cite this article

Barsales KAD, Javier J, Catibog JJ, et al. Huge Intraosseous Tibial Haemangioma Managed with Embolisation, Excision and Fibular Ilizarov Reconstruction: A Case Report. Strategies Trauma Limb Reconstr 2021;16(1):60–63.

Hemangioma of long tubular bone: imaging characteristics with emphasis on magnetic resonance imaging

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the imaging findings, especially the MRI findings, of intraosseous hemangioma of long tubular bones and to improve the recognition of this rare tumor.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The imaging characteristics of 16 histopathologically diagnosed long tubular bone hemangioma lesions were retrospectively reviewed on radiography (n = 16), CT (n = 16), and MRI (n = 15).

RESULTS

Thirteen of 16 lesions were intramedullary, whereas the other three were cortical, subperiosteal, and mixed intracortical and intramedullary, respectively. The radiologic appearance of long bone intraosseous hemangioma was divided into five types: cyst-like (n = 7), mesh- or honeycomb-like (n = 6), medullary sclerosis (n = 1), cortical thickening (n = 1), and cortical lytic type (n = 1). Radiography and CT allowed the identification of sclerotic margins in eight cases, thickened trabeculae in six cases, internal calcification in one case, cortical thickening in one case, and fracture in four cases. Two lesions were confusing on radiography but clearly identifiable on MRI. All intraosseous hemangioma showed high signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging and intermediate signal intensity on T1-weighted imaging. Four cyst-like lesions showed peripheral and filling enhancement, whereas others exhibited diffuse enhancement with an intensity similar to adjacent vessels.

CONCLUSION

Cystic and mesh types are the most common types of hemangioma in long tubular bones. MRI can help to define the location and extent of lesions. The tumor usually shows high signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging and intermediate signal intensity on T1-weighted imaging. Peripheral and filling or diffuse enhancement with an intensity similar to vessels is helpful for the diagnosis of intraosseous hemangioma.

Management of Primary Osseous Spinal Tumors with PET

Knowledge of the PET imaging findings of osseous spinal neoplasms is essential, because they are common incidental findings on PET scans done for staging of unrelated primary malignancies. Additionally, PET can help differentiate lesions that are not clearly defined by anatomic modalities alone. PET can also be used for follow-up of aggressive tumors to assess response to treatment, often proving superior to CT or MR imaging alone for this purpose. This review discusses the role of PET/CT and PET/MR imaging in the diagnosis and management of primary benign and malignant osseous tumors of the spine.

Proximal Ulna: A Rare Location for Solitary Intraosseous Hemangioma

Intraosseous hemangiomas are rare, benign bone tumors usually affecting the bones of the axial skeleton. Its incidence in the long bones is extremely rare. We report a 19-year-old boy with solitary intraosseous hemangioma of the proximal ulna. Radiographs and computed tomography images showed a well-defined osteolytic lesion involving the right proximal ulna. Magnetic resonance imaging showed intermediate signal intensity on T1-weighted images and increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images with internal trabeculae and peripheral post-contrast enhancement. Postcurettage histologic diagnosis of intraosseous hemangioma was made.

Pictorial review of 18F-FDG PET/CT findings in musculoskeletal lesions

We herein reviewed ¹⁸F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) findings in a number of musculoskeletal lesions including malignant tumors, benign tumors, and tumor-like lesions with correlations to other radiographic imaging modalities, and described the diversity of the ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT findings of this entity. Malignant primary musculoskeletal tumors are typically ¹⁸F-FDG avid, whereas low-grade malignant tumors show mild uptake. Benign musculoskeletal tumors generally show a faint uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG, and tumor-like conditions also display various uptake patterns of ¹⁸F-FDG. Although musculoskeletal tumors show various uptakes of ¹⁸F-FDG on PET/CT, its addition to morphological imaging modalities such as CT and MRI is useful for the characterization and differentiation of musculoskeletal lesions.

Benign Bone Conditions That May Be FDG-avid and Mimic Malignancy

Positron emission tomography with the radiotracer ¹⁸F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) plays an important role in the evaluation of bone pathology. However, FDG is not a cancer-specific agent, and knowledge of the differential diagnosis of benign FDG-avid bone alterations that may resemble malignancy is important for correct patient management, including the avoidance of unnecessary additional invasive tests such as bone biopsy. This review summarizes and illustrates the spectrum of benign bone conditions that may be FDG-avid and mimic malignancy, including osteomyelitis, bone lesions due to benign systemic diseases (Brown tumor, Erdheim-Chester disease, Gaucher disease, gout and other types of arthritis, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, and sarcoidosis), benign primary bone lesions (bone cysts, chondroblastoma, chondromyxoid fibroma, desmoplastic fibroma, enchondroma, giant cell tumor and granuloma, hemangioma, nonossifying fibroma, and osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma), and a group of miscellaneous benign bone conditions (post bone marrow biopsy or harvest status, bone marrow hyperplasia, fibrous dysplasia, fractures, osteonecrosis, Paget disease of bone, particle disease, and Schmorl nodes). Several ancillary clinical and imaging findings may be helpful in discriminating benign from malignant FDG-avid bone lesions. However, this distinction is sometimes difficult or even impossible, and tissue acquisition will be required to establish the final diagnosis.

Intraosseous hemangioma arising in the clavicle

Intraosseous hemangioma (IH) is commonly seen in the vertebral column and skull: however, IH occurring in the appendicular skeleton, including the clavicle, is uncommon. We herein report the case of a 69-year-old female presenting with IH of the left clavicle. The findings of preoperative imaging studies, including radiographs, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, fluorine-18-fludeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT and ultrasonography, are described. In particular, (18)F-FDG PET/CT showed an ill-defined osteolytic lesion with abnormally high FDG uptake. Surgical en bloc resection with preoperative embolization was carried out and a histopathological examination confirmed the presence of an intraosseous cavernous hemangioma in the clavicle.

Cavernous hemangioma of the ilium mimicking aggressive malignant bone tumor with increased activity on (18)F-FDG PET/CT

Osseous hemangioma is a benign vascular tumor, and it usually occurs in the vertebrae and the skull. However, hemangiomas of flat bones are rare, and there are very few reports that describe the radiologic findings of osseous hemangioma of the ilium. We report a unique case of large cavernous hemangioma mimicking a chondrogenic malignant bone tumor originated from the ilium in a 22-year-old female. The mass showed stippled calcifications, heterogeneous enhancement with thick septa and enhanced soft tissue components on CT and MR, and also this mass demonstrated heterogeneous 2-fluoro [fluorine-18]-2-deoxy-D-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) uptake on ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT.