Swollen Ankle With a Hole: Brodie ’s Abscess

A 12-year-old boy presented with a 1-year history of painful swelling of the left ankle. The pain was recurrent, exacerbated by mechanical loading, occasionally nocturnal, and responsive to NSAIDs. The patient was afebrile. Physical examination revealed a tender, non-fluctuating swelling of the left distal tibia, without flare or erythema; the range of motion was painfully limited. Inflammatory markers and complete blood count were normal. Tuberculin skin test resulted negative. Plain radiographs showed a longitudinal lytic lesion extending across the growth plate of the left distal tibial metaphysis, highly suggestive of Brodie ’s abscess (Figure 1).

Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - May 28, 2021 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Benedetta Bossini, Prisca Da Lozzo, Ester Conversano, Flora Maria Murru, Sara Della Paolera, Andrea Taddio, Alberto Tommasini Tags: Insights and Images Source Type: research