J Korean Radiol Soc.  1997 Jul;37(1):153-159.

Brodie's Abscess in Pediatric Patients: MR Imaging Findings

• Lee SK
• Suh KJ
• Ryeom HK
• Kim YS
• Cho KH
• Lee SM
• Lee YH
• Kim YJ
• Kang DS

Abstract

PURPOSE
To determine the characteristic MR imaging findings of Brodie's abscess in pediatric patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed 17 pediatric patients with surgically-proven or clinically and radiologically diagnosed Brodie's abscess who had undergone T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo sequences, T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequence and gadolinum enhanced MR imaging. The MR imaging findings were analysed and classified according to the signal characteristics of the abscess and srrounding bone marrow.
RESULTS
The MR imaging findings of Brodie's abscess could be classified as one of three types, as follows : Type I (10/17) was seen as a target appearance with four layers ; i.e. a center with low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images; an inner rim of high signal intensity, as compared with muscle on both T1- and T2-weighted images with intense contrast enhancement; an outer rim of low signal intensity on both T1- and T2-weighted images, and a peripheral halo of low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and variable signal intensity on T2-weighted images. In type II (4/17), there was no distinction between the center and the inner rim on T1-weighted images, but a clear distinction on contrast enhanced images by intense enhancement of the inner rim. In type III (3/17), there was no distinction between the center and the inner rim on either T1-weighted or contrast enhanced images, due to diffuse enhancement of the lesions. Additional findings of Brodie's abscess include epiphyseal plate violation (8/17), linear or tubular sinus tracts (7/17), inflammatory reaction or edema of surrounding soft tissue (7/17), periosteal reaction (1/17), and pyogenic arthritis (1/17).
CONCLUSION
MR imaging is a useful diagnostic tool for the characterization and determination of the extent of Brodie's abscess. Contrast enhanced MR imaging is particularly valuable for the evaluation of type II lesions.

Keyword

Bones, infection; Bones, MR; Extremities, MR

MeSH Terms

Abscess*
Arthritis
Bone Marrow
Edema
Growth Plate
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
Retrospective Studies