Category
Applied
Description
Background: Patient is an 18-year-old male who presented with a palpable, mobile mass on the anterior portion of the lower left leg. The patient reported that the mass had been present for approximately three years, following a run-in with the edge of metal bleachers while playing football. A small mass was noted the following day, but the patient was able to continue normal activity. His primary care physician recommended observation only, as the mass did not impact activities of daily living. Differential Diagnosis: Differential considerations included lipoma, synovial cyst, or non-calcified soft tissue mass.
Treatment: Diagnostic ultrasound confirmed the presence of post-traumatic scar tissue. The patient was advised to continue normal activities, with no intervention required unless the mass changed in size, became symptomatic, or began to limit function. Uniqueness: Current literature does not document similar presentations of post-traumatic scar tissue masses in adolescent athletes, making this case notably rare.
Conclusions: Post-traumatic scar tissue has not been reported in cases within the past 5 years. Diagnostic ultrasound effectively identified the scar tissue, its proximity to vascular structures, and the condition of the surrounding musculature tissues. The diagnostic imaging revealed two distinct scar tissue masses measuring 1.45 cm x 0.71 cm and 0.46 cm x 0.22 cm. This case study highlights the value of implementing diagnostic ultrasound in evaluating atypical soft tissue masses following trauma in young athletes.
Keywords: Lipoma, synovial cyst, non-calcified soft tissue mass, post-traumatic scar tissue mass
Diagnostic Ultrasound used for Post-Traumatic Scar Tissue: A Type 4 (Rare) Case Study
Applied
Background: Patient is an 18-year-old male who presented with a palpable, mobile mass on the anterior portion of the lower left leg. The patient reported that the mass had been present for approximately three years, following a run-in with the edge of metal bleachers while playing football. A small mass was noted the following day, but the patient was able to continue normal activity. His primary care physician recommended observation only, as the mass did not impact activities of daily living. Differential Diagnosis: Differential considerations included lipoma, synovial cyst, or non-calcified soft tissue mass.
Treatment: Diagnostic ultrasound confirmed the presence of post-traumatic scar tissue. The patient was advised to continue normal activities, with no intervention required unless the mass changed in size, became symptomatic, or began to limit function. Uniqueness: Current literature does not document similar presentations of post-traumatic scar tissue masses in adolescent athletes, making this case notably rare.
Conclusions: Post-traumatic scar tissue has not been reported in cases within the past 5 years. Diagnostic ultrasound effectively identified the scar tissue, its proximity to vascular structures, and the condition of the surrounding musculature tissues. The diagnostic imaging revealed two distinct scar tissue masses measuring 1.45 cm x 0.71 cm and 0.46 cm x 0.22 cm. This case study highlights the value of implementing diagnostic ultrasound in evaluating atypical soft tissue masses following trauma in young athletes.
Keywords: Lipoma, synovial cyst, non-calcified soft tissue mass, post-traumatic scar tissue mass
