Tuberculous pseudotumor of the proximal end of the fibula. A case report

Abstract

A 72-year-old asian woman who had immigrated from Vietnam 10 years ago presented with a soft tissue mass around the proximal fibula. Conventional radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a destructive lesion of the head of the fibula with an intact superior tibiofibular joint and an abscess surrounding the destroyed bone. Histopathology obtained by a CT-guided needle biopsy revealed necrotizing epithelioid granulomata without demonstrating acid-fast bacilli. However, culture grew Mycobacterium tuberculosis. When tuberculosis affects the end of a long tubular bone, the adjacent synovial joint is usually involved. Cases where joint involvement does not occur are extremely rare and unusual. We report such a case.