A Rare Case of Tumoral Calcium Pyrophosphate Dihydrate Crystal Deposition Disease of the Wrist Joint

Abstract

Introduction . Tumoral calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystal deposition disease (CPPDCD), also known as tophaceous calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPDD), is a tumorlike lesion, and it should be distinguished from usual CPDD that causes severe joint inflammation and arthralgia. A case of tumoral CPPDCD of the wrist joint that required differentiation from synovial osteochondromatosis is described. Case Presentation . The patient was a 78-year-old woman with a 5-year history of nodular lesions at the right wrist that had gradually increased in size. An excisional biopsy and a histological examination of the excised nodular lesions by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining were performed, demonstrating numerous polarizable, rhabdoid, and rectangular crystals, surrounded by fibroblasts, macrophages, and foreign body-type giant cells, consistent with tumoral CPPDCD. Conclusion . Tumoral CPPDCD, especially at the wrist joint, is rare, and, to the best of our knowledge, only 2 articles have been published. This case seems to need further follow-up for recurrence, because tumoral CPPDCD may recur after complete or incomplete surgical excision.