Tibial hyperostosis: a diagnostic approach.

Tibial hyperostosis may be encountered in musculoskeletal imaging, incidentally or during the investigation of a leg pain. Hyperostosis involves the exuberant production of osseous tissue and results in cortical, periosteal and/or endosteal thickening of the bone. As a long bone with thick cortices, the tibia has a significant probability of being affected by ubiquitous bone diseases. As a tubular long bone, the tibia is likely to be involved in extensive infectious conditions such as osteomyelitis. As a bone of the lower limb, the tibia undergoes high stresses and may be affected by decrease in bone strength or repetitive submaximal stress. The tibia is also particularly involved in some bone sclerosing dysplasias and Paget's disease. In this work, we aim at highlighting the main conditions leading to tibial hyperostosis and try to provide key elements to narrow down the several diagnostic possibilities. Osteoid osteomas, fatigue or insufficiency fractures, infectious conditions, vascular lesions, sclerosing bone dysplasias and Paget's disease represent the main challenging diagnoses to discuss.