J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2023 Jun;58(3):262-266. 10.4055/jkoa.2023.58.3.262.

Adult Scapular Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Mistaken for Acute Osteomyelitis

• Ahn SJ
• Jo SM
• Kim IB

• KMID: 2543274
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.2023.58.3.262

Abstract

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare condition in which Langerhans cells proliferate and invade many organs. Langerhans cell histiocytosis is sometimes classified as a unifocal disease, multifocal unisystemic disease, and multifocal multisystemic disease depending on the organs and the number of the affected organ. The skull, spine, pelvis and ribs are involved in more than 50 percent of cases but scapular involvement is rare. In children, single osteolytic lesions of the vertebra plana or skull may suggest Langerhans cell histiocytosis. On the other hand, it is difficult to differentiate between metastatic malignancies or osteomyelitis if it occurs in other areas. The authors also reported that Langerhans cell histiocytosis is extremely rare in the scapula, and symptoms may be similar, so they mistook patients who visited the hospital for acute osteomyelitis due to local fever, shoulder pain, and movement restrictions.

Keyword

scapula; langerhans cell histiocytosis; osteomyelitis