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A rare case of an intra-articular true lipoma of the ankle

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Abstract

Background

Most of the foot and ankle soft tissue tumors are benign. Although lipomas are the most common soft tissue tumors, intra-articular lipomas are an extremely rare entity. The majority of described cases of intra-articular lipomas occur in the knee joint. In particular, an intra-articular true lipoma of the ankle has not been reported.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 45-year-old woman who presented with a progressively growing ankle mass over 5 years, which started to restrict the range of motion. It was not preceded by any trauma or sports activity. On examination, a non-tender firm mass was evident on the lateral aspect of the right ankle joint with no signs of inflammation. It was non-compressible, non-mobile, and did not transilluminate. The clinical diagnosis was probable for a soft tissue ganglion. A radiograph revealed a soft tissue opacity over the anterolateral aspect of the tibiotalar joint. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a well-defined, multilobulated, encapsulated lesion located at the lateral aspect of the tibiotalar joint; with intra- and extra-articular components and an analogous signal intensity to fat. The patient underwent surgical excision of the tumor, and the histopathological examination showed mature adipose tissue representing an intra-articular lipoma. At the follow-up visit, the patient had complete resolution of symptoms and no active complaints.

Conclusion

An intra-articular true lipoma of the ankle is an extremely rare tumor. MRI is an invaluable diagnostic tool to make a reliable diagnosis of intra-articular masses.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Huda S. Alsahlawi and Ali Hassan contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain

    Huda S. Alsahlawi, Ali Hassan & Sayed Mohamed Hasan

  2. Department of Pathology, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain

    Safa A. Alshaikh

  3. Department of Orthopedics, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain

    Hasan A. Al-Aradi

Authors
  1. Huda S. Alsahlawi
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  2. Ali Hassan
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  3. Sayed Mohamed Hasan
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  4. Safa A. Alshaikh
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  5. Hasan A. Al-Aradi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ali Hassan.

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Alsahlawi, H.S., Hassan, A., Hasan, S.M. et al. A rare case of an intra-articular true lipoma of the ankle. Skeletal Radiol 52, 797–801 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-022-04176-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-022-04176-5

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