ACCESSORY BONE OR MYOSITIS OSSIFICANS IN SOLEUS MUSCLE?

Abstract

During routine dissections at the Anatomy Department of the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, the authors encountered a bony structure in the right soleus muscle of a 78 year old male cadaver. The bony structure was not associated with any bones or capsular or ligamentous structures. In order to prove that this structure was a real bone but not a bony segment that was broken from the bones of the leg, first we took a radiograph of this region. In the radiograph, there was no evidence for broken leg bones. Moreover the bony structure had plainly normal trabecular bony scene. Secondly we took out this structure, then a propriate section from it was made and it was examined microscopically. As mature bony lamellae were observed microscopically, at last we felt certain that this was a real bone. There were two possibilities for this unusual structure. It could be an accessory bone that was stated in the soleus muscle like the fabella that can be stated in the gastrocnemius muscle or this cadaver had had myositis ossificans at this region. Certain discrimination could not be made despite macroscopic, microscopic or radiographic examinations. As myositis ossificans hasn't been reported in cadavers yet, we believe that the case we report may be useful for distinctive diagnosis of the bony structures determined in soft tissues in Anatomic studies.