Heterotopic ossification in abdominal incisions

rare condition occuring after abdominal surgery which has involved, typically, a midline incision toward the xiphoid process above and the symphysis pubis below. It involves the formation of osseous, cartilaginous and occasionally myelogenous elements within an abdominal wound, and may be misinterpreted as a retained foreign body or incisional neoplastic recurrence (1-3). A few cases have been reported in the surgical literature, but radiologic reports are scarce (1, 4, 5). The authors report a case of heterotopic ossification occurring after abdominal incision; the CT findings and a review of the literature are included.