Ultrasound of benign tumors and tumor-like conditions around the elbow

Soft-tissue masses can occur around the elbow, including both neoplastic (e.g., adipocytic lesions, peripheral nerve sheath tumors, vascular lesions) and tumor-like conditions (e.g., bursitis, reactive lymphadenopathy, Morel-Lavallée lesions). Soft-tissue lesions around the elbow joint are rare, with benign soft-tissue tumors being more common than malignant ones. General diagnostic approaches to soft-tissue lesion evaluation apply to this anatomical region as well. Ultrasound is a valuable imaging tool for the initial evaluation and triage of these lesions. US offers well-known advantages, including high spatial resolution, portability, easy access to the elbow region, comparison with the contralateral side, and Doppler evaluation. Patient interaction – learning the history and examining the mass during scanning to test manual compression, perform certain maneuvers, and assess extremity movement – adds further value to the modality. A confident diagnosis can often be made in cases of subcutaneous lipoma and certain tumor mimickers, such as olecranon bursitis, bicipitoradial bursitis, or reactive epitrochlear lymph nodes, which show typical clinical and ultrasound features. However, when a specific diagnosis of benign entity cannot be established based on ultrasound alone, further workup (often based on MRI) is required. For suspicious or likely malignant lesions, referral to a specialist tumor center is recommended, as indicated in current guidelines.