Acute Exostosis Bursata: A Rare Complication of Scapular Osteochondromas— Case Report and Literature Review

Keywords: Exostosis bursata, scapular osteochondroma, bursitis, bone tumor

Abstract

Osteochondromas involve the scapula in only about 4% of cases. Although many are asymptomatic, they may produce symptoms and complications such as pain, crepitus, palpable masses, scapular dyskinesia, snapping scapula, scapular winging, and the formation of large bursae. This latter complication—which can occur at any skeletal site—is referred to as exostosis bursata, a large bursa that typically develops slowly and progressively and may prompt consideration of malignant transformation or infection in the differential diagnosis. We report a rare case of the acute, post-traumatic onset of exostosis bursata secondary to an osteochondroma on the ventral surface of the scapula. The treatment is described, and a review of the literature is provided.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Daniel Moya, Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Héctor Salamone, Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, Hospital “César Milstein”, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, Hospital “César Milstein”, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Alejandro Vaccarelli, Orthopedics and Traumatology Service, Hospital Zonal General de Agudos “Dr. Eduardo Wilde”, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Orthopedics and Traumatology Service, Hospital Zonal General de Agudos “Dr. Eduardo Wilde”, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Daniel Márquez Grand, Orthopedics and Traumatology Service, Hospital Zonal General de Agudos “Dr. Eduardo Wilde”, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Orthopedics and Traumatology Service, Hospital Zonal General de Agudos “Dr. Eduardo Wilde”, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Federico Alfano, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
Diego Gómez, Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina

References

Vaishya R, Dhakal S, Vaish A. A solitary osteochondroma of the scapula. BMJ Case Rep 2014;2014:bcr2013202273. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2013-202273

Das R, Arya S, Krishna A, Ghosh S, Mukartihal R, Keezhadath S. Osteochondroma of dorsal scapula: A case report and review of literatura. J Orthop Case Rep 2023;13(7):104-9. https://doi.org/10.13107/jocr.2023.v13.i07.3772

Orlow LW. Die exostosis bursata und ihreentstehung. Dtsch Z Chir 1891;31:293-308. Disponible en:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02793491

Bell J. A case of exostosis bursata. Ann Surg 1889;9(2):112-5. https://doi.org/10.1097/00000658-188901000-00028

McWilliams CA. Subscapular exostosis with adventitious bursa. JAMA 1914;63(17):1473-4.

https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1914.02570170041010

Mohsen MS, Moosa NK, Kumar P. Osteochondroma of the scapula associated with winging and large bursa formation. Med Princ Pract 2006;15:387-90. https://doi.org/10.1159/000094275

El-Khoury GY, Bassett GS. Symptomatic bursa formation with osteochondromas. AJR Am J Roentgenol

;133(5):895-8. https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.133.5.895

Borges AM, Huvos AG, Smith J. Bursa formation and synovial chondrometaplasia associated with osteochondromas. Am J Clin Pathol 1981;75(5):648-53. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/75.5.648

Chiarelli GM, Massan L, Grandi E, Lupi L, Bighi S, Limone GL. Degenerazione borsitica del muscolo gran dentato in esostosi solitaria della scapola. Chir Org Mov 1988;72(4):371-4. PMID: 3447827

Griffiths HJ, Thompson RC Jr, Galloway HR, Everson LI, Suh JS. Bursitis in association with solitary

osteochondromas presenting as mass lesions. Skeletal Radiol 1991;20(7):513-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00194249

Cuomo F, Blank K, Zuckerman JD, Present DA. Scapular osteochondroma presenting with exostosrs bursata. Bull Hosp Jt Dis 1993,52(2):55-8. PMID: 8443559

Ben Hamouda M, Allegue M, Bergaour N, Dahmene J, Korbi S, Moula T, et al. Exostose scapularre compliquee de bursite. J Radiol 1993;74(3):143-6. PMID: 8496842

Jacobi CA, Gellert K, Zieren J. Rapid development of subscapular exostosis bursata. J Shoulder Elbow Surg 1997;6(2):164-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1058-2746(97)90039-2

Okada K, Terada K, Sashi R, Hoshi N. Large bursa formation associated with osteochondroma of the scapula: a case report and review of the literature. Jpn J Clin Oncol 1999;29(7):356-60. https://doi.org/10.1093/jjco/29.7.356

Shackcloth MJ, Page RD. Scapular osteochondroma with reactive bursitis presenting as a chest wall tumour. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2000;18(4):495-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1010-7940(00)00545-5

Chávez BA, Giménez Bascuñana A. Exóstosis bursata. XXIV Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Española de Anatomía Patológica. Disponible en: http://www.conganat.org/seap/reuniones/2001/osteoblanda.htm

Rahul P, Ravikumar Tv, Amit Grover, Sudarshan K. Solitary osteochondroma of the scapula: a rare case report. Int J Med 2014;2(2): Disponible en: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267748137_Solitary_osteochondroma_of_the_scapula_a_rare_case_report

Yoo WH, Kim JR, Jang KY, Lee SY, Park JH. Rapidly developed huge bursitis associated with scapular

osteochondroma of the multiple exostosis: a case report. Rheumatol Int 2009;29(3):317-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-008-0659-8

Aalderink K, Wolf B. Scapular osteochondroma treated with arthroscopic excision using prone positioning. Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ) 2010;39(2):E11-4. PMID: 20396684

Frost NL, Parada SA, Manoso MW, Arrington E, Benfanti P. Scapular osteochondromas treated with surgical excision. Orthopedics 2010;33(11):804. https://doi.org/10.3928/01477447-20100924-09

Orth P, Anagnostakos K, Fritsch E, Kohn D, Madry H. Static winging of the scapula caused by osteochondroma in adults: a case series. J Med Case Rep 2012;6:363. https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-1947-6-363

Ceberut K, Korkmaz M, Ergin I, Müslehiddinoglu A. Bursa formation with scapular osteochondroma in hereditary multiple exostosis. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak 2013;23(7):512-4. PMID: 23823961

Sivananda P, Rao BK, Kumar PV, Ram GS. Osteochondroma of the ventral scapula causing scapular static winging and secondary rib erosion. J Clin Diagn Res 2014;8(5):LD03-5. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2014/8129.4335

Flugstad NA, Sanger JR, Hackbarth DA. Pseudo-winging of the scapula caused by scapular osteochondroma: review of literature and case report. Hand (NY) 2015;10(2):353-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11552-014-9659-1

Ali AA, Sharma P, Rege R, Seena CR, Rajesh S. Exostosis bursata - Multimodality imaging approach. J Clin Diagn Res 2016;10(9):TD03-TD04. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2016/15688.8431

Ogawa K, Inokuchi W. Solitary osteochondroma of the ventral scapula associated with large bursa formation and pseudowinging of the scapula: A case report and literature review. Case Rep Orthop 2018;2018:5145642. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5145642

Tuncer K, Pirimoglu B, Ogul H. Huge bursitis associated with scapular osteochondroma presenting as a giant mass of the chest wall: A case presentation. PM R 2018;10(12):1431-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmrj.2018.02.019

de Oliveira MA, Alfaro Y, Kotzias Neto A, Korman MC. Subscapular osteochondroma as a differential diagnosis of winged scapula. Rev Bras Ortop (Sao Paulo) 2019;54(03):241-6. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-1692432

Ahmed AR, Tan TS, Unni KK, Collins MS, Wenger DE, Sim FH. Secondary chondrosarcoma in osteochondroma: report of 107 patients. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2003;411:193-206.

https://doi.org/10.1097/01.blo.0000069888.31220.2b

Moya D. The power of case reports. Journal of Regenerative Science 2024;4(1):01-02. https://doi.org/10.13107/jrs.2024.v04.i01.117

Published
2025-08-29
How to Cite
Moya, D., Salamone, H., Vaccarelli, A., Márquez Grand, D., Alfano, F., & Gómez, D. (2025). Acute Exostosis Bursata: A Rare Complication of Scapular Osteochondromas— Case Report and Literature Review. Revista De La Asociación Argentina De Ortopedia Y Traumatología, 90(4), 361-368. https://doi.org/10.15417/issn.1852-7434.2025.90.4.1963
Section
Case Presentations