Intraabdominal myositis ossificans: a report of 9 new cases

Intraabdominal myositis ossificans (IMO) is a rare benign disorder characterized by reactive bone formation in intraabdominal soft tissue that should be distinguished from a malignant condition. We retrospectively searched our patient records and report 9 new cases of IMO. The lesions occurred in 7 men and 2 women with a mean age of 50 years (range, 24--76 years), 5 of whom had previous abdominal surgery. Histologically, all the cases were similar, consisting of a reactive mesenchymal process in adipose tissue. Mitosis was observed, but with no atypical forms, and the lesions lacked malignant cytologic features. IMO is an uncommon benign lesion that develops relatively rapidly. The pathogenesis is related to intraabdominal surgical procedures, but the exact mechanism remains to be determined.