E2102. Oops, I Did it Again: Pearls and Pitfalls in the Evaluation of Soft Tissue Tumors
Authors
Gregory Jew;
University of Rochester Medical Center
Scott Schiffman;
University of Rochester Medical Center
Background
Soft tissue tumors are relatively uncommon and can be notoriously difficult for radiologists without musculoskeletal (MSK)-specific training to diagnose with a high degree of accuracy. This lack of familiarity may leave radiologists and clinicians alike less ready to consider or diagnose them. Furthermore, soft tissue tumors can often mimic other diseases in all imaging modalities, delaying diagnosis and treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the imaging modality of choice when characterizing soft tissue tumors, however, tissue biopsy is typically the definitive method of diagnosis. Understanding the limitations of imaging modalities and when to recommend tissue biopsy is paramount to expedient and appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this exhibit is to illustrate cases where soft tissue tumor diagnoses were overlooked on imaging and to provide pearls and pitfalls to help avoid these misses in the future.
Educational Goals / Teaching Points
Presentation of cases in which soft tissue tumors were mistaken for other entities (hematoma, abscess, panniculitis, soft tissue injuries, lipoma, and others). Cases will be presented in cased based format with the presumptive diagnosis, eventual diagnosis, and an explanation of pearls and pitfalls that could have helped clinch the correct diagnosis.
Key Anatomic/Physiologic Issues and Imaging Findings/Techniques
Soft tissue tumors are relatively rare but can have overlapping characteristics over multiple imaging modalities with benign and more common processes. Discussion of cases of soft tissue tumors mistaken for other entities including hematoma, abscess, panniculitis/cellulitis, soft tissue injuries, lipoma, etc. Each case will be accompanied by a lesson of specific imaging characteristics or techniques that would have resulted in the correct diagnosis.
Conclusion
It is important that radiologists are familiar with the imaging features of soft tissue tumors, along with presentations that mimic other entities so that soft tissue tumors can be considered in the differential diagnosis in more challenging cases. This will improve the accuracy of diagnosis, expedite the treatment of soft tissue tumors, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
