A small aneurysmal bone cyst restricted to the cortical bone of the femur resembling so-called subperiosteal giant cell tumor or subperiosteal osteoclasia.

We report a 16-year-old Japanese girl with a cystic lesion restricted to the cortical bone under the periosteum of the diaphysis of the left femur. Roentgenograms showed a long, oval translucent lesion in frontal view and an eccentric erosive lesion in lateral view. Computed tomography showed a distinct intracortical lesion. The lesion, which was excised en bloc, measured 3 x 2 x 2 cm. The outer layer of the cortical bone was eroded eccentrically. From the margin of the eroded bone, thin fragile bony tissue and preserved periosteum extended like the roof of a dome. Multicystic structures, filled with blood, were lined with fibrous granulation and occasional giant cells. Histologically, this lesion falls within the category of aneurysmal bone cyst. However this case is of a rare type, since the lesion was relatively small, and showed a very specific intracortical location, in marked contrast to typical aneurysmal bone cyst. Additionally, this lesion is similar to so-called subperiosteal giant cell tumor or subperiosteal osteoclasia described in the literature.