Cuboid stress fracture as an uncommon cause of lateral foot pain: Correlation between magnetic resonance imaging and photon-counting computed tomography - A case report
- 1Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborgsvägen 31, Gothenburg, 431 80, Sweden; Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Västra Götaland, Göteborgsvägen 31, Gothenburg, 431 80, Sweden
- 2Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborgsvägen 31, Gothenburg, 431 80, Sweden; Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Västra Götaland, Göteborgsvägen 31, Gothenburg, 431 80, Sweden; Corresponding author.
Abstract
Cuboid stress fractures are uncommon causes of lateral midfoot pain and may be overlooked when initial radiographs are normal. We report a 30-year-old recreational athlete who developed progressive laeral midfoot pain after an increase in running volume and interval training. Conventional radiographs showed no fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated extensive bone marrow edema in the cuboid and a mediolaterally oriented fracture line extending to the articular surface of the fifth tarsometatarsal joint, with a small focal depression of the involved articular surface. Photon-counting computed tomography performed one month later demonstrated a thin sclerotic fracture line with a small central lucency corresponding to the magnetic resonance imaging abnormality and provided detailed characterization of the osseous fracture morphology. The patient was treated conservatively with activity restriction, protected weight-bearing, and foot orthoses. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated decreased bone marrow edema and reduced conspicuity of the fracture line, consistent with interval healing. The patient subsequently completed a gradual return-to-running program without recurrent lateral midfoot pain. This case underlines cuboid stress fracture as an important differential diagnosis in persistent lateral foot pain despite normal radiographs and illustrates the complementary morphological information provided by photon-counting computed tomography regarding fracture morphology and articular involvement.
Related
- Left ventricular function and volumes from cardiac magnetic resonance and gated [13N]-ammonia positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with ischemia with no obstructive coronary arteries: a prospective head-to-head comparison using hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance
- Correlation Between Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers and Blood Biomarkers in Acute Ischemic Stroke
- Ultrasound-guided Aspiration and Sclerotherapy for Chronic Morel-Lavallée Lesions: A Two-Case Report with Magnetic Resonance Imaging Correlation
- Spontaneous retrobulbar hematoma on serial computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging: a case report
- Hydrocele of the Canal of Nuck Mimicking Inguinal Hernia in an Adult Woman: Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Correlation.
BibTeX
@article{marcusschumacher2026cuboid,
title = {{Cuboid stress fracture as an uncommon cause of lateral foot pain: Correlation between magnetic resonance imaging and photon-counting computed tomography - A case report}},
author = {Marcus Schumacher, MD and Katarzyna Bokwa-Dąbrowska, MD, PhD and Pawel Szaro, MD, PhD},
journal = {Radiology Case Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.radcr.2026.10.019},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2026.10.019},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Cuboid stress fracture as an uncommon cause of lateral foot pain: Correlation between magnetic resonance imaging and photon-counting computed tomography - A case report
AU - Marcus Schumacher, MD
AU - Katarzyna Bokwa-Dąbrowska, MD, PhD
AU - Pawel Szaro, MD, PhD
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Radiology Case Reports
DO - 10.1016/j.radcr.2026.10.019
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2026.10.019
AB - Cuboid stress fractures are uncommon causes of lateral midfoot pain and may be overlooked when initial radiographs are normal. We report a 30-year-old recreational athlete who developed progressive laeral midfoot pain after an increase in running volume and interval training. Conventional radiographs showed no fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated extensive bone marrow edema in the cuboid and a mediolaterally oriented fracture line extending to the articular surface of the fifth tarsometatarsal joint, with a small focal depression of the involved articular surface. Photon-counting computed tomography performed one month later demonstrated a thin sclerotic fracture line with a small central lucency corresponding to the magnetic resonance imaging abnormality and provided detailed characterization of the osseous fracture morphology. The patient was treated conservatively with activity restriction, protected weight-bearing, and foot orthoses. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated decreased bone marrow edema and reduced conspicuity of the fracture line, consistent with interval healing. The patient subsequently completed a gradual return-to-running program without recurrent lateral midfoot pain. This case underlines cuboid stress fracture as an important differential diagnosis in persistent lateral foot pain despite normal radiographs and illustrates the complementary morphological information provided by photon-counting computed tomography regarding fracture morphology and articular involvement.
SN - 1930-0433
ER -