J Korean Soc Radiol.  2010 Mar;62(3):283-286. 10.3348/jksr.2010.62.3.283.

Radiologic Findings of Foreign Body Granuloma by the Bee Sting: A Case Report

• Kim JW
• Yang I
• Kim JW
• Jung AY
• Chung SY
• Kim HD
• Woo JY
• Yoon SR
• Choi SH

• KMID: 2208925
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2010.62.3.283

Abstract

Bee sting therapy is a folk remedy used for arthralgia. An adverse reaction to bee sting therapy can be variable, ranging from a local inflammatory reaction to generalized anaphylaxis. There have been reports of dermatologic findings pertaining to bee sting granulomas, which results from a foreign body reaction to the persistence of venom and stinger at the sting site. However to the best of our knowledge, the radiologic findings of bee sting granulomas have not been reported on in Korea. We describe the ultrasound and MRI findings of bee sting granulomas at the lower extremity in a 36-year-old woman who underwent bee-sting therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee joints 3 months prior.

MeSH Terms

Adult
Anaphylaxis
Arthralgia
Bees
Bites and Stings
Female
Foreign Bodies
Foreign-Body Reaction
Granuloma
Granuloma, Foreign-Body
Humans
Insect Bites and Stings
Knee Joint
Korea
Lower Extremity
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Medicine, Traditional
Osteoarthritis
Venoms
Venoms

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Bee sting granuloma of the left thigh in a 36-year-old woman. A. Photograph of the bee sting granuloma in left thigh is seen as erythematous patch with ulcer. B, C. Fat suppressed proton density MR images show high signal intensity lesions with edema (arrows) in the subcutaneous fat layer of left thigh. D. High resolution ultrasonography shows irregular, lobulated hypoechoic lesion (arrows) with surrounding hyperechoic fat infiltration in the subcutaneous layer of left thigh. E. Photomicrography shows a large aggregation of inflammatory cells with histiocytes and lymphocytes (arrows). Destruction of fat lobule, degeneration of fat cells with formation of lymphoid follicles are also noted (H & E stain, ×40). F. Well-formed nonnecrotizing granuloma (arrows), an aggregation of epithelioid histiocytes surrounded by lymphocytes is shown (H & E stain, ×200).

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