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Gouty involvement of the patella and extensor mechanism of the knee mimicking aggressive neoplasm. A case series

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Abstract

Gout is a common inflammatory crystal deposition disease that occurs in many joints throughout the body. Active gout is most often associated with painful synovitis causing searing joint pains, but gout can also produce large masses of space-occupying deposits called tophi. Tophi are most frequently seen in juxta-articular locations with or without bony erosion and are often misdiagnosed as degenerative joint disease. Soft tissue deposits and tendon involvement are also known manifestations of gout, but can present with indeterminate and alarming findings on imaging. We present three cases of tophaceous gout mimicking aggressive neoplasms in the extensor mechanism of the knee. All cases presented as extensor tendon masses eroding into the patella, with imaging findings initially concerning for primary musculoskeletal malignancy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Christopher Kester

  2. Orthopaedic Oncology, National Center for Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors, MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, 9103 Franklin Square Drive Suite 2300, Baltimore, MD, 21237, USA

    Matthew T. Wallace

  3. Department of Radiology, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, USA

    James Jelinek

  4. National Center for Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors, MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Albert Aboulafia

Authors
  1. Christopher Kester
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  2. Matthew T. Wallace
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  3. James Jelinek
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  4. Albert Aboulafia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew T. Wallace.

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The authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Kester, C., Wallace, M.T., Jelinek, J. et al. Gouty involvement of the patella and extensor mechanism of the knee mimicking aggressive neoplasm. A case series. Skeletal Radiol 47, 865–869 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-017-2871-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-017-2871-7

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