A Thigh Swelling, Neoplasm or Surprise?

In the absence of sufficient history, a chronic swelling in the limb may be mistaken as a soft tissue neoplasm, bony tumor or infection. Our patient, who had a chronic and recurrent swelling in the thigh was investigated thoroughly using MRI and CT scans. A specific diagnosis wasn’t reached despite these investigations and soft tissue neoplasm was feared in a rather young patient. Ultrasound was used to guide aspiration and biopsy of the swelling and it incidentally led us to a diagnosis. MRI is an accurate tool in diagnosis of soft tissue conditions, but ultrasound is simple, cost effective, easily available and sometimes more sensitive in diagnosing various conditions in soft tissues of the limbs.