Clinics in diagnostic imaging (82). Lesser trochanter metastasis

A 73-year-old woman who had previous mastectomy for breast carcinoma presented with persistent pain over the left hip area for two to three months. Pelvic radiograph showed an expanded osteolytic lesion involving the lesser trochanter of the left femur, with adjacent ill-defined destructive changes. She subsequently developed a displaced pathological fracture through the lesser trochanteric metastasis. The clinical features and pathophysiology of bone metastases are discussed. The role of imaging, with additional illustrative examples, is emphasised.