An Unusual Complication of an Infiltrated Intravenous Catheter: Heterotopic Ossification in a Newborn

Heterotopic ossification refers to formation of lamellar bone in soft tissues. The etiology is diverse and includes genetic, post-traumatic, and metabolic causes. Elicitation of bone morphogenic proteins are thought to play a key role in the pathogenic process. Initially, heterotopic ossification presents a clinical and radiographic challenge in that it can be mistaken for other more worrisome entities which present with calcified soft tissue masses. However, a spontaneous clinical resolution, temporal relationship to an inciting agent, and radiographic evolution to a peripherally-calcified lesion are all clues to the diagnosis. Here we present the clinical and radiographic features of heterotopic ossification as a result of an infiltrated peripheral IV.