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Lipidus migrans—a radiology imaging feature after ankle injury

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Abstract

We present an uncommon imaging feature with fluid fat tracking within the tendon sheath of the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) after traumatic injury to the ankle joint. We propose a coined medical term “lipidus migrans” to define the presence of floating fat in a tendon sheath. This is due to lipohemarthrosis from intra-articular fracture of the ankle with leakage of fluid fat into the tendon sheath. Communication between the FHL tendon sheath and ankle joint can occur in up to 25% of patients. Radiologists should be aware of the presence of lipidus migrans as a potential posttraumatic complication after intra-articular ankle fracture and that fat in the tendon sheath may mimic fracture fragments or even a tendon sheath tumor.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Piotr Gołofit for his diagrams depicting lipidus migrans and its etiology. We also thank Dr. Manuel Peterhans for his clinical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Radiology, Kantonsspital Baden, Baden, Switzerland

    Malwina Kaniewska & Suzanne E. Anderson

  2. Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Lynne S. Steinbach

  3. Centre for Orthopaedic Surgery, Kantonsspital Aarau und Baden, Baden, Switzerland

    Urs Neurauter

  4. Sydney School of Medicine, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney, Australia

    Suzanne E. Anderson

Authors
  1. Malwina Kaniewska
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  2. Lynne S. Steinbach
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  3. Urs Neurauter
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  4. Suzanne E. Anderson
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Correspondence to Malwina Kaniewska.

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Kaniewska, M., Steinbach, L.S., Neurauter, U. et al. Lipidus migrans—a radiology imaging feature after ankle injury. Skeletal Radiol 47, 1709–1715 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-018-2973-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-018-2973-x

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