Subperiostial recurrence of chondroblastoma

We present a case of subperiosteal recurrence of chondroblastoma adjacent to the greater trochanter that was initially thought to represent septic arthritis of the hip in a 10-year-old girl. Soft-tissue recurrence of chondroblastoma is very rare, with fewer than ten cases reported in the literature. We demonstrate the recurrence on both CT and MRI. The MRI clearly demonstrates the soft-tissue recurrence and the associated inflammatory changes, with signal characteristics not unlike the primary tumor.