Tuberculosis of the Tibial Plateau Mimicking a Giant Cell Tumor: A Case Report

Tuberculous osteomyelitis is infrequent and occurs most often in the femur, the tibia, and the small bonne of hands and feet. Herein, we report a 39-year-old female who presented with chronic pain and motion range reduction of the left knee joint for two years. A knee radiograph revealed a geographic lytic lesion of the epiphyseal and diaphyseal region of the tibia mimicking giant cell tumor (GCT). A minimally invasive biopsy of the lytic lesion was performed, and pathological assessment revealed granulomatous inflammation made of numerous caseating necrotizing epithelioid and giant cells granulomas, diagnostic of tibial plateau tuberculosis. This case underscores the importance of taking tuberculosis into consideration in lesions mimicking GCTs in the tibial plateau, especially in endemic regions.