J Korean Soc Magn Reson Med.  2009 Jun;13(1):88-92.

Granulocytic Sarcoma in the Leg Mimicking Hemorrhagic Abscess

• Cho SM
• Jee WH

Abstract

Granulocytic sarcoma is a rare extramedullary tumor composed of immature granulocytic precursors. Usually, granulocytic sarcoma is seen in association with acute myeloid leukemia, or other myeloproliferative disorders. Rarely, it may manifest as a primary presentation before the onset of systemic disease in acute myeloid leukemia. The clinical suspicion of granulocytic sarcoma based on imaging findings is important for the management of the patient especially when systemic disease of acute myeloid leukemia is not confirmed as in our case. We report the MR findings of a granulocytic sarcoma in the left leg mimicking hemorrhagic abscess in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia. We believe that MRI can be a helpful diagnostic method of making a differential diagnosis of granulocytic sarcoma in a patient with leukemia, and this can be done by analyzing the signal intensity and the enhancement pattern.

Keyword

Granulocytic sarcoma; Magnetic resonance (MR); Acute myeloid leukemia

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
Leg
Leukemia
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute
Myeloproliferative Disorders
Sarcoma, Myeloid