Dysplasia Epiphysealis Hemimelica is a rare developmental disorder of epiphyseal growth char￢acterized by asymmetrical cartilagenous overgrowth.
This disorder was first described with the "la tarsomegalie" by Mouchet and Belot in 1926 but this name, Dysplasia Epiphysealis Hemimelica, was first proposed by Fairbank in 1956.
This disorder is usually limited to either the medial or lateral half of a single extremity in chi￢ldhood.
It is asymptomatic until the protruding epiphyseal mass interferes joint function. The character istic abnormalities are deformities, restricted motion and pain.
The most frequent finding at the initial examination is an irregular, often multicentric radiopacity, and when the lesion is matured it looks irregular, and frequently there is a lobulated osseous mass protruding from the epiphysis of tarsal and carpal bones.
Diagnosis by the roentgenogram requires primarily knowledge of this condition.
The lesion is often microscopically indistinguishable from an osteochondroma. A case of Dysplasia Epiphysealis Hemimelica in a 17 year old male, showing typical roentgenographic appearances, is reported together with a brief review of literature in this paper.
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