A case of giant cell tumor of the rib with magnetic resonance imaging.

A surgical case of giant cell tumor originating from the right seventh rib in a 51-year-old Japanese man is reported. Surgical resection without radiation therapy is preferable, because radiation may cause malignant transformation of this kind of tumor. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the tumor, reported for the first time in the English literature, was useful in planning complete resection, because both the excellent soft-tissue contrast resolution and the multiplanar images could demonstrate accurately the tumor extent both in the bone marrow and to the surrounding soft tissue.