The role of the radiologist in the management of the child with a suspected bone tumor.

Abstract

The radiologist's most important task in evaluating lesions of the skeleton is to recognize with a great degree of certainty the post-traumatic and the self-limiting and healing tumorous conditions which require neither biopsy nor other surgical treatment. The group of lesions that will need biopsy ranges from those that cannot be absolutely classified in the above group to frankly malignant-appearing tumors. The radiologic differential diagnosis of malignant tumors is of lesser importance because this will be performed by the pathologist. Examples are illustrated and discussed. The importance of consultation among surgeon, radiologists, and pathologist is emphasized, particularly to avoid the possibility of misinterpreting immature callus formation as ostegenic sarcoma.