Baker's cyst in pediatric patients: Ultrasonographic characteristics.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate incidence, etiology, and sonographic features of Baker's cyst in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 16 pediatric patients, with the clinical diagnosis of Baker's cyst. The possibility to confirm or to exclude the presence of the lesion, assess the structure, presence of bilateralism and joint effusion were considered. Three subjects had known juvenile arthritis, 2 hemophilia, 11 a popliteal swelling in the absence of concomitant diseases. RESULTS: In all patients it was possible to confirm (11) or to exclude (5) the presence of Baker's cyst. The idiopathic forms (6) exhibited anechoic structure; in patients with arthritis (3) there was hypertrophic synovium; in hemophilic patients at the presentation (2) anechoic structure with layering (serum and red blood cells); in chronic hemophilia synovial hypertrophy was seen. Joint effusion was constantly present in children with hemophilia and arthritis and in 1 case of idiopathic cyst. CONCLUSION: Baker's cysts in children are rare. Ultrasound is able to confirm or to exclude the presence of the lesion and it is able to evaluate characteristics, bilateralism and association with joint effusion.