Superficial soft-tissue masses of the extremities. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Superficial soft-tissue masses are among the most common indications for imaging of the extremities. A broad array of benign and malignant processes may be manifested in palpable cutaneous or subcutaneous masses or nodules. Most such lesions are treated with surgical excision, but some may be conservatively managed. The lesions can be differentiated according to their location in one or more skin layers (epidermis, dermis, and subcutis), their histologic composition, and the associated anatomic abnormality or disease process. Because the imaging characteristics of many benign soft-tissue lesions overlap with those of malignant ones, knowledge of the patient's clinical history (including any laboratory test results) and direct visual examination of the lesion often are important for differentiation. Histologic analysis may be necessary to achieve a definitive diagnosis.

publication date

  • September 1, 2006

Research

keywords

  • Image Enhancement
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Skin Neoplasms
  • Soft Tissue Neoplasms

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 33749490489

PubMed ID

  • 16973766

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 26

issue

  • 5