Silicone-Induced Foreign Body Reaction: An Unusual Differential Diagnosis of Posterolateral Hip Pain

BACKGROUND: Silicone injection is commonly used for soft tissue augmentation for esthetic purposes. It is not without complications. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 31-year-old woman presenting with refractory left lateral hip pain. Magnetic resonance imaging of the patient's pelvis revealed innumerable small low signal foci throughout the gluteus maximus and overlying subcutaneous fat bilaterally consistent with injectable material, possibly silicone. CONCLUSIONS: This case report emphasizes that silicone-induced granulomatosis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of hip pain when evaluating a patient who has had access to plastic surgery or clandestine operators.