Table of Contents
Definition / general | Sites | Radiology images | Treatment | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Borys D Chronic multifocal osteomyelitis. PathologyOutlines.com website. http://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/bonechronicmultifocal.html. Accessed February 15th, 2019.
Definition / general
- Recurrent variant of osteomyelitis in children and young adults of unknown origin (Hum Pathol 1999;30:59)
- Low grade fever, local swelling and pain
- Periods of exacerbation and remission over years
- Negative cultures
Sites
- Metaphyses of tubular bones, clavicle
- Multiple asymptomatic sites
- Associated skin lesion - pustulosis palmoplantaris
Treatment
- Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; do not use antibiotics since cultures are negative
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Early neutrophilic inflammation
- Late fibrosis of marrow with chronic inflammatory infiltrate
- Plasma cell predominance
- Fragments of necrotic bone with multinucleated giant cells
Differential diagnosis
- Rheumatic disease
- Bacterial osteomyelitis
- Malignancy