Osteochondromas around the ankle: Report of a case and literature review

An osteochondroma or exostosis is a benign bone tumour consisting of a bony outgrowth covered by a cartilage cap that occurs commonly in the metaphysis of long bones, mainly the distal femur, proximal tibia and proximal humerus.

We describe an unusual case of a distal tibia osteochondroma affecting the lateral malleolus of a young girl.

Most osteochondromas are asymptomatic and seen incidentally during radiographic examination. Osteochondromas are rarely localized in the foot and ankle.

Although most of the osteochondromas in children should be treated conservatively until skeletal maturity, those affecting the distal tibia or fibula should be treated with surgical excision in order to prevent ankle deformity, syndesmotic lesions or even fracture due to the expanding nature of this benign tumour.