Objective: To describe clinical and imaging findings of distended scapulothoracic bursitis without scapular snapping, which is often confused with a soft tissue tumor.
Methods: Nine patients (6 male, 3 female; age range: 50-73 years; mean age = 67 years) with distended scapulothoracic bursitis diagnosed by clinical and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings were studied. The results of a histologic examination were available in 1 case.
Results: All patients presented with painless palpable masses below the scapula, and the initial diagnoses were soft tissue tumors. On MR images, the lesions were 5.5 to 12 cm in maximum diameter (mean = 7.7 cm) and well-demarcated cystic masses situated in the subscapular region between the serratus anterior and the chest wall. There was no solid portion on the cyst walls. The findings of hemorrhage within the bursae were present in all cases. Every mass regressed in size spontaneously after a few to several weeks, and no lesions revealed any malignant findings of sarcomas.
Conclusions: Distended scapulothoracic bursae without scapular snapping resemble soft tissue tumors. They have some specific MR findings; therefore, precise recognition of these findings is important to avoid misdiagnoses and unnecessary treatments.