ball & socket

ball & socket

Ball-in-socket adjective Referring to a morphology in which there is a sharply circumscribed round mass surrounded by a clear or lucent space followed by a density similar to the first central 'ball' Imaging An appearance of the sequelae of epiphyseal fractures with a primary fusion of the central portion of the epiphysis, appearing as a ball within a relatively radiolucent 'socket', seen in infantile scurvy, battered child syndrome, acromelic dwarfism Rheumatology A descriptor for the radiologic appearance of compressive erosions in the interphalangeal joint of rheumatic diseases, where a central sclerotic zone is surrounded by an osteoporotic 'ring'