Tumoral Calcinosis Causing Bilateral Thigh Pain

• Published in: Radiology case reports Vol. 3; no. 2; p. 206
• Main Authors: Evans, J Mark, Roberts, Catherine C, Lidner, Thomas K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier 2008
• Subjects: MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; CT, computed tomography
• ISSN: 1930-0433; 1930-0433
• DOI: 10.2484/rcr.v3i2.206

We report a case of a 75-year-old female with bilateral thigh pain for several years secondary to soft tissue calcification. Massive calcinosis of the soft tissues is a unique, but not uncommon, radiographic finding. On the contrary, tumoral calcinosis is a rare familial disease. The term tumoral calcinosis has been overly used to describe any massive collection of periarticular calcification. The original definition of tumoral calcinosis refers to a hereditary disease associated with massive periarticular calcification without an underlying cause. The lesions of tumoral calcinosis are typically lobulated, well-demarcated calcifications most often distributed along the extensor surfaces of large joints. Many conditions have similar radiographic appearances, including the calcinosis of chronic renal failure, calcific tendinitis, synovial osteochondromatosis, synovial sarcoma, myositis ossificans, tophaceous gout, and calcific myonecrosis. The radiologist plays a critical role in guiding the appropriate tests that can result in a conclusive diagnosis of tumoral calcinosis.