Ischiofemoral impingement in an 11-year-old girl

Ischiofemoral impingement (IFI) is the entrapment of the quadratus femoris muscle (QFM) between the trochanter minor of the femur and the ischium-hamstring tendon. Patients with IFI generally present with hip pain, which may radiate toward the knee. Although there is no specific diagnostic clinical test for this disorder, the presence of QFM edema/fatty replacement and narrowing of the ischiofemoral space and the quadratus femoris space on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are suggestive of IFI. The optimal treatment strategy of this syndrome remains obscure. Patients may benefit from a conservative treatment regimen that includes rest, activity restriction, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and rehabilitation procedures, just as with other impingement syndromes. Herein we report an 11-year-old girl with IFI who was successfully treated conservatively. To our knowledge, our case is the youngest patient reported in the English literature. MRI remains an important tool in the diagnosis of IFI, and radiologists should be aware of the specific features of this entity.