MRI Soft Tissue Pseudotumors ISMRM Seattle 2006

Musculoskeletal pseudotumors on MRI are not infrequent due to the increased availability of MR imaging and expanding clinical referral basis. A large variety of MRI pseudotumors exist. A recent review of seventy-seven patients referred to our ambulatory MRI unit for tumor imaging of the shoulder and upper limb region, showed forty-six ( 60%) were due to pseudotumors. Very commonly a forgotten minor past injury, whether related to sport, work or trauma, not immediately perceived as being related to the current clinical problem, is often the cause of the pseudotumor. This insult may then be complicated by secondary infection. Contributary features include the presence of normal variants with overuse syndromes, body habitus and inappropriate training and equipment or overwork. In other cases, characteristic locations and patient age may be suggestive of the diagnosis, such as elastofibroma dorsi of the infra-scapular posterior thoracic wall.