Iliopsoas bursopathies. A review of twelve cases

Abstract

Synovial cysts are far less common at the hip than at the knee and usually occur in patients whose hip cavity communicates with the iliopsoas bursa. We report 12 cases of enlargement of the iliopsoas bursa, nine men and three women, with a mean age of 48 years. The six patients with septic bursitis had severe symptoms similar to those seen in septic arthritis of the hip. Chronic pain with or without a palpable inguinal swelling was the main symptom in the six remaining patients, some of whom had compression of neighboring structures making the diagnosis more difficult. Ultrasonography is the best first-line investigation in patients with an inguinal swelling. Computed arthrotomography with examination of the synovial fluid or magnetic resonance imaging should be performed as a confirmatory diagnostic test. Our series provides evidence of the efficacy of appropriate antimicrobial therapy in septic cases and of corticosteroid injections into the bursa or hip cavity in nonseptic cases.