Case Reports
Simultaneous Solitary Glomus Tumors in Nonadjacent Digits
Am J Orthop. 2009 May;38(5):E82-E84
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Todd R. Rimington, MD, and Charles S. Lefton, MD
Dr. Rimington is Resident, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC.
Dr. Lefton is Senior Partner, Commonwealth Orthopaedics, Arlington, Virginia, and Orthopaedic Surgeon, Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington, Virginia.
Abstract not available. Introduction provided instead.
The glomus tumor is a rare tumor that arises from the glomus apparatus of the dermal retinacular layer of the skin.1 This tumor has solitary and multiple forms. Solitary tumors are commonly found in the distal phalanx in a paraungual or subungual location. They present with a classic triad of paroxysmal pain, pinpoint tenderness, and cold hypersensitivity.1 Multiple tumors are extremely rare, are inherited in an autosomal-dominant pattern, and can have involvement outside the hand. Multiple tumors are commonly asymptomatic, but the multiple form can have mixed symptomatic and asymptomatic tumors. Histopathologic characteristics can be used to differentiate the solitary and multiple forms.
To our knowledge, simultaneous solitary glomus tumors in nonadjacent digits have not been reported in the literature. In this article, we describe the case of a woman in her early 40s with clinical, radiographic, and histologic findings for simultaneous solitary glomus tumors in nonadjacent digits of the hand.