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...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: P R Kornaat, M Camerlinck, F M Vanhoenacker, G De Praeter, H M Kroon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Ubiquity Press 2010-02-01
Series:Journal of the Belgian Society of Radiology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jbsr.be/articles/145
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:2514-8281