PET/CT and MRI of intra-osseous haemangioma of the tibia

Abstract

Intra-osseous haemangioma is a rare, benign neoplasm that usually involves the vertebrae and craniofacial bones. Furthermore, its occurrence in the long bones is extremely rare. We report the findings of fluorine-18-fludeoxyglucose (F-18-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT and MRI in a patient with intra-osseous haemangioma in the proximal tibia, who was initially misdiagnosed as having a malignancy based on F-18-FDG PET/CT. F-18-FDG PET/CT showed a well-marginated osteolytic lesion with abnormal FDG uptake. The mass demonstrated low signal intensity on T-1 weighted MRI. On T-2 weighted images, the lesion appeared as a cluster of high signal intensity lobules and showed strong enhancement on contrast-enhanced T-1 weighted images. Surgical curettage was performed and histopathological examination of the excised tissue confirmed a cavernous haemangioma.