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. 2025 Jun 6;15(6):5884-5892.
doi: 10.21037/qims-24-2292. Epub 2025 May 26.

The diagnosis and pathology of cystic echinococcosis of the bone: a description of two cases

Fangdi Gong #  1 , Jiabao Xiang #  1 , Zhenjiang Fu  1 , Ping Wang  2 , Sheng Zhou  1   2
Affiliations

The diagnosis and pathology of cystic echinococcosis of the bone: a description of two cases

Fangdi Gong et al. Quant Imaging Med Surg. .
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://qims.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/qims-24-2292/coif). S.Z. reports funding from the Gansu Provincial Natural Science Foundation (No. 22JR5RA659) and the Gansu Provincial Joint Research Fund General Project (No. 23JRRA1542). The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Imaging findings and pathological diagnosis of echinococcosis in the right humerus. (A) X-ray showed destruction of the cortical bone in the upper segment of the right humerus with uneven thickness, a fracture of the surgical neck of the humerus, and displacement of the fracture ends. (B,C) CT revealed destruction of the cortical bone in the right humerus, with uneven density in the medullary cavity and cystic low-density shadows in the surrounding soft tissue spaces. Some cystic lesions had calcified walls, and the three-dimensional CT reconstruction revealed changes in the bone quality of the humerus due to parasitic erosion. (D-F) Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated irregular bone destruction in the right humerus with localized narrowing of the medullary cavity. Widespread irregular cystic long T1 and long T2 signal shadows were noted in the surrounding soft tissues of the humerus, as well as between the pectoralis major and subscapularis muscles; the daughter cysts showed slightly high signal intensity on T2 imaging. Diffusion-weighted imaging presented mixed high signals with unclear boundaries, with some lesions exhibiting nodular calcifications. (G) Macroscopic imaging after surgery. (H,I) The laminated germinal layer of cystic echinococcosis within the cyst wall under microscopy (hematoxylin and eosin staining; 10×10 magnification). CT, computed tomography.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Imaging findings and pathological diagnosis of echinococcosis in the thoracic vertebrae. (A) X-ray showed a mass of high density on the right edge of the T3–5 vertebrae, with adjacent vertebrae exhibiting irregular shapes (as indicated by the arrow in the figure). (B,C) Computed tomography images revealed a soft tissue mass in the right accessory area of the T4–5 vertebrae, showing expansile bone destruction. The lesion was lobulated with homogeneous density and measured approximately 4.46 cm × 3.81 cm × 3.5 cm, and there was bone destruction in the costovertebral joints at the T4–5 vertebrae. (D-G) Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a soft tissue lesion in the right accessory region corresponding to the T4–5 vertebrae, with slightly long T1 and long T2 signals (indicated by the arrows). The fat suppression sequence showed high signal intensity, and the lesion had an irregular shape with uniform signal characteristics (as indicated by the arrow in the figure). (H) Postoperative macroscopic view of the specimen. (I) Characteristic laminated germinal layer and endogenous daughter cysts of cystic echinococcosis under microscopy (hematoxylin and eosin staining; 20×10 magnification).
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