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Case Reports
. 2024 Oct 31;16(10):e72766.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.72766. eCollection 2024 Oct.

A False Step in a Ballerina: A Rare Case of Osteonecrosis of Subhallucal Sesamoid Bone

Pedro Maganinho  1 , Filipe Sá Malheiro  2   3 , Joana Cardoso  4 , Carlos Sampaio Macedo  5   6   7 , Bruno S Pereira  8
Affiliations
Case Reports

A False Step in a Ballerina: A Rare Case of Osteonecrosis of Subhallucal Sesamoid Bone

Pedro Maganinho et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Subhallucal interphalangeal osteonecrosis is an uncommon cause of forefoot pain, and a rarely reported clinical entity, being often overlooked. Imaging, particularly computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have an essential role in early and differential diagnosis and guiding for appropriate therapy. The first approach should be conservative, and surgical treatment should be considered when it proves ineffective. In this case report, we describe a rare case of hallucal interphalangeal osteonecrosis manifesting a long-term hallux discomfort, successfully managed through a conservative approach, and we discuss the role of imaging techniques in its diagnosis.

Keywords: ct scan; mri; osteonecrosis; sesamoid; subhallucal.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. CT coronal (A) and axial (B) images showing sclerosis of subhallucal sesamoid bone (white arrows)
Figure 2
Figure 2. Magnetic resonance imaging. T2-weighted coronal image reveal small subhallucal sesamoid bone (white arrow) with hypointense bone marrow and edema of the adjacent fat planes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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