A 23-month-old girl was referred to us because of a right leg limp for 10 days that had not improved despite anti-inflammatory treatment and that did not show signs of infection. Upon examination, gait was in abduction and external rotation of the hip. Plain radiographs showed a solitary lucent lesion of the posteroinferior two thirds of the epiphysis that was hyperintense on T2-weighted magnetic resonance scanning images. We approached the proximal femoral epiphysis using the "trapdoor" technique and excised the lesion by curettage and iliac crest graft. Histologically, the lesion was diagnosed as an enchondroma. We discuss the main causes of lucent epiphyseal lesions in children. Finally, we review the literature on previous reports of patients with solitary epiphyseal enchondromas.
Study type: Case report.