Symptomatic giant (10-cm) bone island of the tibia

Abstract

A bone island represents a focus of mature compact bone within the cancellous bone, and it can be diagnosed based on characteristic clinical and radiologic features. The lesion is typically asymptomatic with a preference for the pelvis, femur, and other long bones. On radiographs, the lesion appears as an ovoid, round or oblong homogeneously dense and sclerotic focus in the cancellous bone. The characteristic features of this lesion are radiating bony streaks, known as thorny radiations or pseudopodia. Most bone islands are small, and the majority of these lesions measure from 0.1 to 2.0 cm. A giant bone island, defined as having a diameter greater than 2 cm, has been rarely reported in the English-language literature. We report here on a case of a giant bone island that measured 10 x 1.7 x 1 cm in the diaphysis of the right tibia in a 31-year-old man who complained of right lower leg pain for 3 weeks.