title: Tumoral calcinosis in the upper cervical spine causing progressive radiculomyelopathy--case report.
abstract: A 54-year-old woman with chronic renal failure presented with tumoral calcinosis manifesting as progressive radiculomyelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a spinal epidural mass in the C-2 to C-4 levels. The clinical and radiological findings suggested malignant tumor. Resection of the lesion was performed with total C-2 laminectomy and C-3 and C-4 laminoplasty. The symptoms totally disappeared after surgery. The histological diagnosis was tumoral calcinosis. Tumoral calcinosis is a rare tumoral calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease which presents as periarticular soft tissue calcification. Tumoral calcinosis should be considered in patients with a mass lesion involving the upper cervical spine and associated with metabolic abnormalities. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice, because this is completely curative without known recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Iizuka Hospital, Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsukado
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Amano
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Itou
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yuhi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagata
mesh_terms: D002114:Calcinosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery