Evaluation of pediatric bone lesions.

The radiologist is commonly confronted with bone lesions in children. Knowledge of the age of the patient, the lesion location, and various imaging characteristics are all important in making an accurate diagnosis, and determining benign from malignant etiologies should be a primary goal. Various imaging features seen on cross-sectional imaging, including marrow edema, periosteal reaction patterns, and fluid-fluid levels, are discussed. The advantages of different imaging modalities, including CT and MRI, are reviewed.