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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Human Vastus Lateralis Skeletal Muscle Biopsy Using the Weil-Blakesley Conchotome
Published on: March 4, 2016
Endometriosis of the vastus lateralis muscle
Pat Auveek Basu1, Anil K Kesani, Gregory S Stacy
1Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. patbasu@yahoo.com
Abstract:
We report an unusual case of a woman who sought medical attention for a painful mass within her anterolateral left thigh. The patient's symptoms waxed and waned with her menses. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 3 cm mass isointense to muscle and surrounded by a rim of decreased signal intensity on T1-weighted images. T2-weighted images with fat saturation revealed a low signal intensity mass with a surrounding rind of high signal intensity edema. Based on its magnetic resonance imaging characteristics, the lesion was initially thought to represent the sequela of prior trauma or perhaps a small fibrous tumor. An excisional biopsy of the mass, however, revealed endometrial tissue, and a pathologic diagnosis of intramuscular endometriosis was rendered.
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