CASE REPORT   

Minerva Ortopedica e Traumatologica 2020 December;71(4):225-9

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-3410.20.03979-X

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Posterior ankle impingement caused by retrocalcaneal bicameral cyst

Valerio ANDREOZZI ¹ ✉, Federico MORELLI ¹, Leonardo PREVI ¹, Arcangelo DI CERBO ², Dario PERUGIA ¹, Andrea FERRETTI ¹

¹ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy; ² Department of Pathology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

Ganglion cysts of the hindfoot are extremely rare lesions. Common sites of ganglion cysts are fore and mid-foot, retro calcaneal cyst is a rare entity. We report a case of a 61-year-old male, affected by a painful retro-calcaneal swelling of his left ankle causing posterior ankle impingement and limitation of plantar flexion and walking. Radiological evaluation revealed a massive retrocalcaneal bicameral cystic lesion with a maximum diameter greater than 43 mm. Surgical excision of the cyst was performed and followed by a histological confirmation. The patient had a regular postsurgical course and a quick symptom relief. Several pathological conditions can result in posterior ankle impingement. Although bony impingement is more frequent, soft tissue impingement should not be underestimated. To the best of our knowledge, this case report is the first to describe a retrocalcaneal ganglion cyst causing posterior ankle impingement.

KEY WORDS: Calcaneus; Ganglion cysts; Achilles tendon