Arumilli BRB, Lenin Babu V, Paul AS. Painful swollen leg--think beyond deep vein thrombosis or Baker's cyst.
World J Surg Oncol 2008;
6:6. [PMID:
18205917 PMCID:
PMC2244628 DOI:
10.1186/1477-7819-6-6]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2007] [Accepted: 01/18/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis of leg is very common in clinical practice. Not infrequently a range of pathologies are diagnosed after excluding a thrombosis, often after a period of anticoagulation.
CASE PRESENTATION
This is a report of three patients who presented with a painful swollen leg and were initially treated as a deep vein thrombosis or a baker's cyst, but later diagnosed as a pleomorphic sarcoma, a malignant giant cell tumor of the muscle and a myxoid liposarcoma. A brief review of such similar reports and the relevant literature is presented.
CONCLUSION
A painful swollen leg is a common clinical scenario and though rare, tumors must be thought of without any delay, in a duplex negative, low risk deep vein thrombosis situation.
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