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Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Imaging of the Microstructural Failure Mechanism in the Human Hip
Published on: September 29, 2023
Traumatic fracture in a patient with osteopoikilosis
Adeline Du Mortier1, Pierre-Louis Docquier2
1Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Service de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologique, Avenue Hippocrate 10, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract:
We report a case of traumatic humeral neck fracture occurring in a patient with osteopoikilosis after a motorcycle accident. The radiograph revealed the fracture but also multiple bone lesions. A few years before, the patient had been operated for a maldiagnosed chondrosarcoma of the humeral head. Osteopoikilosis is a rare benign hereditary bone disease, whose mode of inheritance is autosomal dominant. It is usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally on radiograph that shows the presence of multiple osteoblastic lesions. It can mimic other bone pathologies, in particular osteoblastic metastases. Osteopoikilosis is a diagnosis that should be kept in mind to avoid misdiagnosis, particularly with regard to cancer metastasis. This disorder does not require any treatment and complications are rare. However, there may be associated anomalies that require follow-up.
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