Bilateral Symmetric Heterotopic Ossification of the Pubic Bones in a Former Footballer: A Case Report.
- 1Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Mutengene Christian Orthopedic Residency (MCORE) Program, Mutengene, CMR.
- 2Orthopaedics and Trauma, Baptist Hospital Mutengene, Mutengene, CMR.
Abstract
Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of extraskeletal bone within soft tissue, most often arising after trauma, surgery, burns or neurological injury. It is typically described around the hip, elbow, shoulder and knee, and reports of HO centred on the pubic bones are exceptional. We report a 39-year-old former footballer who presented with a two-year history of insidious, activity-related pelvic and groin pain, without any recollected acute injury. Examination revealed bilateral, symmetric, bony-hard groin masses that were tender on palpation, with a full and symmetric range of hip motion, including abduction, and an intact distal neurovascular status. Pelvic radiography demonstrated bilateral, well-defined, horn-like ossific projections arising from the medial aspects of the superior pubic rami, and three-dimensional computed tomography confirmed symmetric exuberant ossification within the adductor musculature along the anterior aspect of both pubic bones. Osteochondroma, osteoma and chondroma were considered preoperatively. Both lesions were excised through an anterior approach; each was continuous with the pubic cortex through a broad bony base. Histopathology showed fragments of benign bone with fatty marrow and scant hyaline cartilage, with no evidence of malignancy; these features were reported as non-specific and requiring radiologic correlation. Integrating the imaging and histological findings, a diagnosis of bilateral HO of the pubic bones was made. At 16 months the patient was pain-free with no palpable mass and had returned to recreational football. This case illustrates that HO may arise at the adductor origin of the pubic bones in the absence of a discrete traumatic event, that it can closely mimic osteochondroma both radiologically and histologically, and that radiologic-pathologic correlation is essential to avoid misdiagnosis.
Related
- Heterotopic mesenteric ossification after abdominal trauma
- Atraumatic iliopsoas heterotopic ossification with postoperative atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome
- Targeting the lactate/P300/H3K18la epigenetic pathway with a mechanoadaptive biomimetic hydrogel to suppress traumatic tendon heterotopic ossification.
- RRP12 knockdown inhibited inflammation and p53/NF-κB pathway and alleviated heterotopic ossification in mice.
- The degeneration of uncovertebral joints on CT assessment and its association with postoperative heterotopic ossification in one- or two-level artificial cervical arthroplasty.
BibTeX
@article{penda2026bilateral,
title = {{Bilateral Symmetric Heterotopic Ossification of the Pubic Bones in a Former Footballer: A Case Report.}},
author = {Xavier Penda and Taku Angwa Neba and Henry Ndasi},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.116861},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927129},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bilateral Symmetric Heterotopic Ossification of the Pubic Bones in a Former Footballer: A Case Report.
AU - Xavier Penda
AU - Taku Angwa Neba
AU - Henry Ndasi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.116861
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927129
AB - Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of extraskeletal bone within soft tissue, most often arising after trauma, surgery, burns or neurological injury. It is typically described around the hip, elbow, shoulder and knee, and reports of HO centred on the pubic bones are exceptional. We report a 39-year-old former footballer who presented with a two-year history of insidious, activity-related pelvic and groin pain, without any recollected acute injury. Examination revealed bilateral, symmetric, bony-hard groin masses that were tender on palpation, with a full and symmetric range of hip motion, including abduction, and an intact distal neurovascular status. Pelvic radiography demonstrated bilateral, well-defined, horn-like ossific projections arising from the medial aspects of the superior pubic rami, and three-dimensional computed tomography confirmed symmetric exuberant ossification within the adductor musculature along the anterior aspect of both pubic bones. Osteochondroma, osteoma and chondroma were considered preoperatively. Both lesions were excised through an anterior approach; each was continuous with the pubic cortex through a broad bony base. Histopathology showed fragments of benign bone with fatty marrow and scant hyaline cartilage, with no evidence of malignancy; these features were reported as non-specific and requiring radiologic correlation. Integrating the imaging and histological findings, a diagnosis of bilateral HO of the pubic bones was made. At 16 months the patient was pain-free with no palpable mass and had returned to recreational football. This case illustrates that HO may arise at the adductor origin of the pubic bones in the absence of a discrete traumatic event, that it can closely mimic osteochondroma both radiologically and histologically, and that radiologic-pathologic correlation is essential to avoid misdiagnosis.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -