Ossifying fasciitis at an extraordinary site – a case report and analysis of diagnostic pitfalls

Ossifying fasciitis is a very rare disease of reactive character; however, it can mimic malignant lesions, especially osteosarcoma. We report a case of a 30-year-old woman, who experienced a rapidly growing painful lesion of the left knee joint, preceded by a trauma. The tumor was resected, and the histopathological image suggested a malignant lesion with features of an osteosarcoma. A detailed correlation with a clinicopathological and radiological analysis led to the final diagnosis of ossifying fasciitis at an extraordinary site of patellar retinaculum. Our case shows that the close similarity between ossifying fasciitis and osteosarcoma may be challenging.