Bone infection: Brodie abscess: practice question

A Orthopaedics 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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Orthopaedics · Bone infection: Brodie abscess

Sample item

A 14-year-old boy has long-standing mild pain in the proximal tibia, worse at night, with a well-defined lucent lesion in the metaphysis with a sclerotic margin on radiograph. What is the diagnosis?

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

The answer and the reasoning

D. Brodie abscess

Brodie abscess is a subacute pyogenic osteomyelitis walled off by sclerotic bone, usually in the metaphysis of a long bone in a child or adolescent. Staphylococcus aureus is the commonest organism, and treatment is curettage with antibiotics.

Option by option

  • A. Ewing sarcoma

    Ewing sarcoma shows permeative destruction and an onion-peel reaction.

  • B. Osteoid osteoma

    Osteoid osteoma has a nidus under 1.5 cm and pain relieved by NSAIDs.

  • C. Simple bone cyst

    A simple bone cyst is not painful unless fractured and lacks a thick sclerotic rim.

  • D. Brodie abscess (correct)

    Correct. A walled-off metaphyseal lucency with sclerotic rim is a Brodie abscess.

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 Orthopaedics questions

Questions about this Orthopaedics question

What is the answer to this Orthopaedics question?

The best answer is D, Brodie abscess. Brodie abscess is a subacute pyogenic osteomyelitis walled off by sclerotic bone, usually in the metaphysis of a long bone in a child or adolescent.

Why is "Ewing sarcoma" not the answer?

Ewing sarcoma shows permeative destruction and an onion-peel reaction.

Why is "Osteoid osteoma" not the answer?

Osteoid osteoma has a nidus under 1.5 cm and pain relieved by NSAIDs.

Why is "Simple bone cyst" not the answer?

A simple bone cyst is not painful unless fractured and lacks a thick sclerotic rim.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Bone infection: Brodie abscess in Orthopaedics. Staphylococcus aureus is the commonest organism, and treatment is curettage with antibiotics.

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 Bone infection: Brodie abscess?

Pair each fracture with its classic complication and nerve injured. Then use the flashcards and the other Orthopaedics 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.