Bad to the bone. Not all bone tumors are cancer: Case of long bone osteomyelitis
Tat W. Yau,
Bennet D. Franz,
Hanadi A. Osman,
Jessica C. Rivera,
Ashaur Azhar
Affiliations
Tat W. Yau
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Orleans, LA, United States; Louisiana State University, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States; University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Correspondence to: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Section of Infectious Diseases, 2021 Perdido Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States.
Bennet D. Franz
Louisiana State University, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
Hanadi A. Osman
Tulane University, School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States; University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Jessica C. Rivera
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, New Orleans, LA, United States; Louisiana State University, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States; University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Ashaur Azhar
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Orleans, LA, United States; Louisiana State University, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States; University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
Long bone osteomyelitis could mimic bony tumor in clinical presentation and imaging studies. We present a case of a 47-year man who presented with leg pain, weight loss and night sweats that initially was thought to be related to osteosarcoma, later suffered a pathologic fracture from Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis. This case highlights the importance of source control of infection and careful clinical evaluation including radiographic and pathologic findings that can help physicians to differentiate between competing diagnoses.
