MSK imaging: bone island: practice question

A Radiology question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Radiology · MSK imaging: bone island

Sample item

A 40-year-old has a 1 cm round dense sclerotic focus with feathery radiating margins in the femur on a film taken for another reason. The bone scan is normal. What is the best approach?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. It is a bone island and needs no treatment or biopsy

A bone island is a focus of compact bone with a spiculated brush margin, typically inactive on bone scanning. It is a benign incidental finding. Metastases and osteoid osteoma usually show activity or symptoms.

Option by option

  • A. It is a bone island and needs no treatment or biopsy (correct)

    Correct. A bone island is benign and needs no action.

  • B. Chemotherapy for blastic metastasis

    A blastic metastasis usually shows uptake and a primary tumour.

  • C. Surgical excision for osteoid osteoma

    Osteoid osteoma causes night pain with a lucent nidus.

  • D. Immediate biopsy for osteosarcoma

    Osteosarcoma would be destructive with a soft tissue mass.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More Radiology questions

Questions about this Radiology question

What is the answer to this Radiology question?

The best answer is A, It is a bone island and needs no treatment or biopsy. A bone island is a focus of compact bone with a spiculated brush margin, typically inactive on bone scanning.

Why is "Chemotherapy for blastic metastasis" not the answer?

A blastic metastasis usually shows uptake and a primary tumour.

Why is "Surgical excision for osteoid osteoma" not the answer?

Osteoid osteoma causes night pain with a lucent nidus.

Why is "Immediate biopsy for osteosarcoma" not the answer?

Osteosarcoma would be destructive with a soft tissue mass.

What concept does this question test?

It tests MSK imaging: bone island in Radiology. It is a benign incidental finding. Metastases and osteoid osteoma usually show activity or symptoms.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study MSK imaging: bone island?

Learn signs with the image, and the disease they point to. Then use the flashcards and the other Radiology questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.