Found a lump on the leg. X-ray and ultrasound is to be done. What could this be?

Posted on Fri, 26 Oct 2012

Question: I'm concerned over a lump that I found on my daugther's XXXXXXX She fell months ago and hit it pretty hard I remember and may have re-injured it again but I can't remember. I was feeling her leg the other day and there is still a large lump on her leg where she fell - in addition two smaller lumps farther down her leg also. She falls often but says these don't hurt her. The doctor saw her this week and said the larger lump feels like bone possibly and so we are going for x-rays and ultrasound but I am going crazy thinking it's some kind of tumor on her leg. What could this be?

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (59 minutes later)

Hello,

Thanks for posting your query.

This large bony lump over XXXXXXX of your daughter is most probably being an exostosis (ostochondroma).

Exostosis is an abnormal benign bony outgrowth on the surface of bone.

As you had said that there is in addition two smaller lumps present over leg, so it might be a case of multiple hereditary exostosis.

Diagnosis of exostosis in most of cases is confirmed on x-rays, but in some cases CT scan required.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if you have more concerns.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E

Follow up: Dr. Saurabh Gupta (44 minutes later)

Is exostosis common in children (girls) aged 5 yrs? Also, is the two smaller lumps common in the mutiple hereditary exostosis - why would this show up after she bumped her leg? Is this something that would have happend anyway even if she didn't bump her leg?

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (2 hours later)

Hi,

Thanks for writing back.

Average age of diagnosis for multiple hereditary exostosis is 3 years. These smaller lumps are common in this. They increase in size and number with growth till maturity.

Appearance of these lumps after she bumped her leg may be an incidental finding.

Yes this is something that would have happened anyway even if she didn't bump her leg.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if you have any more concerns.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Aparna Kohli