Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Intraosseous lipomas originating from simple bone cysts

  • Scientific Article
  • Published:
Skeletal Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

A Letter to the Editor to this article was published on 08 June 2021

Abstract

Purpose

Fatty or part-fatty intraosseous lesions are occasionally encountered while imaging the skeletal system. A number of case reports have proposed involution of calcaneal bone cysts to intraosseous lipomas, but this has never been proven. This paper sets out to prove that simple bone cysts (SBCs) can involute to fatty lesions indistinguishable from intraosseous lipomas.

Materials and methods

The pathology and PACS databases at 2 specialist orthopedic hospitals were retrospectively interrogated for all cases of intraosseous lipomas or SBCs with cross-sectional imaging follow-up for SBCs and precursor or follow-up imaging for intraosseous lipomas, in the time period from August 2007 to December 2016. For intraosseous lipoma cases, these were only included if change in imaging appearances was observed.

Results

There was no case of change in the appearance in intraosseous lipomas. Six cases of SBC with cross-sectional imaging follow-up were identified in one participating hospital and none in the other. The 6 cases were comprised of 4 male and 2 female patients. Two were located in the proximal humerus, one in the proximal tibia, and 3 in the os calcis. All cases demonstrated filling in of the cystic lesion with fat from the periphery, in 2 cases complete filling in, and in 4 cases partial fatty conversion.

Conclusion

SBCs can heal with fatty conversion of the cystic cavity, with partly cystic remnants. It is proposed that at least part of the so-called intraosseous lipomas are healed simple bone cysts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Chung CB, Murphey M, Cho G, et al. Osseous lesions of the pelvis and long tubular bones containing both fat and fluid-like signal intensity: an analysis of 28 patients. Eur J Radiol. 2005;53:103–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Campbell RS, Grainger AJ, Mangham DC, Beggs I, Teh J, Davies AM. Intraosseous lipoma: report of 35 new cases and a review of the literature. Skeletal Radiol. 2003;32:209–22.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Malghem J, Lecouvet F, Vande BB. Calcaneal cysts and lipomas: a common pathogenesis? Skeletal Radiol. 2017;46:1635–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Elias I, Zoga AC, Raikin SM, Schweitzer ME, Morrison WB. Incidence and morphologic characteristics of benign calcaneal cystic lesions on MRI. Foot Ankle Int. 2007;28:707–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Milgram JW. Intraosseous lipomas. A clinicopathologic study of 66 cases. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1988:277–302.

  6. Milgram JW. Intraosseous lipomas: radiologic and pathologic manifestations. Radiology. 1988;167:155–60.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Milgram JW. Malignant transformation in bone lipomas. Skeletal Radiol. 1990;19:347–52.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Palczewski P, Swiatkowski J, Golebiowski M, Blasinska-Przerwa K. Intraosseous lipomas: a report of six cases and a review of literature. Pol J Radiol. 2011;76:52–9.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Mrozek K, Karakousis CP, Bloomfield CD. Chromosome 12 breakpoints are cytogenetically different in benign and malignant lipogenic tumors: localization of breakpoints in lipoma to 12q15 and in myxoid liposarcoma to 12q13.3. Cancer Res. 1993;53:1670–5.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bridge JA, DeBoer J, Walker CW, Neff JR. Translocation t(3;12)(q28;q14) in parosteal lipoma. Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 1995;12:70–2.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Hanrahan CJ, Christensen CR, Crim JR. Current concepts in the evaluation of multiple myeloma with MR imaging and FDG PET/CT. Radiographics. 2010;30:127–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lagier R. Case report 128: lipoma of the calcaneus with bone infarct. Skeletal Radiol. 1980;5:267–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wada R, Lambert RG. Deposition of intraosseous fat in a degenerating simple bone cyst. Skeletal Radiol. 2005;34:415–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the help of Dr. Prudencia Tyrrell, Dr. Jaspreet Singh, Dr. Naomi Winn, and Mrs. Gill Cribb in the preparation of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7AQ, UK

    Bernhard J. Tins, Victor N. Cassar-Pullicino, Radhesh Lalam & Paul Cool

  2. John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Yaron J. Berkowitz

  3. Central Manchester University Hospitals, Manchester, UK

    Praveen Konala

  4. Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UK

    Mark Davies

Authors
  1. Bernhard J. Tins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yaron J. Berkowitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Praveen Konala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mark Davies
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Victor N. Cassar-Pullicino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Radhesh Lalam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Paul Cool
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bernhard J. Tins.

Ethics declarations

The institutional review boards at these institutions approved the retrospective study and waived the need for informed patient consent.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tins, B.J., Berkowitz, Y.J., Konala, P. et al. Intraosseous lipomas originating from simple bone cysts. Skeletal Radiol 50, 801–806 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-020-03628-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-020-03628-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation