Bursitis in association with solitary osteochondromas presenting as mass lesions

Three patients with solitary osteochondromas which were increasing in size have been recently examined. Plain films were available on all patients; two patients had MR studied, and two had CT scans. In all three cases, malignant transformation of the osteochondroma was suspected from the cross-sectional imaging studies, but pathologic examination proved that these patients all had bursa formation without any evidence of malignancy. The incidence of this rare complication of solitary osteochondroma is discussed. Ultrasound is also recommended for the evaluation of enlarging solitary osteochondromas. (orig.)