Insufficiency fractures of the distal tibia misdiagnosed as cellulitis in three patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

We describe 3 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who presented with diffuse pain, swelling, and erythema of the distal aspect of the lower extremity, suggestive of either cellulitis or thrombophlebitis, but were found to have insufficiency fractures of the distal tibia. The value of technetium-99m diphosphonate bone scintigraphy in the early recognition of these fractures and a possible explanation for the associated inflammatory symptoms are discussed.