Brodie’s Abscess of Cuboid Bone with Atypical Presentation and Incidental Foreign body: A Case Report

Brodie’s abscess is a rare form of subacute osteomyelitis, typically affecting long bone metaphyses, while involvement of small foot bones, such as the cuboid, is uncommon and may mimic neoplastic lesions. We report a 40-year-old-female with a 12-year history of swelling and recent pain over the dorsolateral right foot. Imaging revealed a lytic lesion in the cuboid with surrounding sclerosis, consistent with Brodie’s abscess. MRI demonstrated the penumbra sign. Surgical curettage removed purulent material and wooden foreign body, with histopathology confirming acellular material. The patient recovered fully with postoperative antibiotics and remained asymptomatic at follow-up. Diagnosis may be delayed due to subtle clinical features and normal inflammatory markers. MRI is highly useful for characterization. Retained foreign bodies may act as a chronic nidus for infection. Clinicians should consider Brodie’s abscess in chronic foot lesions with lytic bone changes and evaluate for potential foreign bodies, even without obvious trauma.