Tumoral calcinosis of the cervical spine in a dialysis patient. Case report and review of the literature

Abstract

The authors present a case of tumoral calcinosis (TC) in a patient with chronic renal insufficiency. The clinical course, imaging features and microscopic findings are detailed. A 60-year-old woman with a 4-year history of hemodialysis presented with a painful mass in the right posterior cervical triangle. The neuroimaging revealed polycystic mass bulging from the C3–C5 facet joints and lamina on the right. The majority of cystic mass was excised and microscopic features of the specimen were consistent with TC. Tumoral calcinosis is a rare disease characterized by calcium salt deposits in periarticular soft tissue, which enlarge to form tumor-like cystic masses containing chalky calcareous material. TC is typically seen around large joints but rarely in the spine. Review of past publications provided six cases of TC involving the spine in dialyzed patients.