Transarticular spread of Ewing sarcoma mimicking septic arthritis

Pediatr Radiol. 2009 Apr;39(4):381-4. doi: 10.1007/s00247-008-1124-2. Epub 2009 Jan 24.

Abstract

Transarticular spread of tumor is rare; it has only been reported in the sacroiliac joint, intervertebral disk spaces, and facet joints. The anatomic and kinetic characteristics of the sacroiliac joint, as well as the changes the joint undergoes during a lifetime, make it particularly vulnerable to transarticular tumor invasion. Although extremely rare, Ewing sarcoma can extend through the sacroiliac joint and be virtually indistinguishable radiologically from septic arthritis. Furthermore, the clinical presentation of a child with Ewing sarcoma can be similar to that of a child with osteomyelitis. Laboratory values are quite nonspecific and are not always helpful in differentiating between the entities. Therefore, the possibility of sacroiliac joint transarticular Ewing sarcoma should be considered in a child presenting with hip pain, despite clinical, radiological and laboratory findings suggesting an infectious process.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Arthritis, Infectious / diagnosis
  • Bone Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Sacroiliac Joint / diagnostic imaging*
  • Sacroiliac Joint / pathology*
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / diagnosis*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed