Heterotopic ossification of muscles and soft tissues-Pictorial Atlas

Abstract

Heterotopic ossification is the latest terminology for myositis ossificans as there is no inflammation in the muscle nor it is ossification all the time. A better term proposed is heterotopic mineralisation. The patho-physiology is vague. The differential diagnosis between various soft tissue calcifications and heterotopic ossifications is discussed exhaustively with the help of several illustrations. Imaging findings with emphasis on conventional radiology with its characteristic appearances are described.

Keywords

• heterotopic ossification
• myositis ossificans
• soft-tissue calcifications
• imageological methods
• differential diagnosis