Rare glomus tumor formation following trauma to the first digit

Mohammad Saba; Austin Moser; Joshua Rosenberg; Jian-Hua Qiao; Gary Chen

doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2021.106324

Rare glomus tumor formation following trauma to the first digit

Int J Surg Case Rep. 2021 Sep:86:106324. doi: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2021.106324. Epub 2021 Aug 19.

Authors

Mohammad Saba¹, Austin Moser², Joshua Rosenberg³, Jian-Hua Qiao⁴, Gary Chen⁵

Affiliations

¹ Ross University School of Medicine, 2300 SW 145TH AVE, SUITE 200, Miramar, FL 33027, USA; California Hospital Medical Center, 1401 S GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA. Electronic address: mohammadsaba@mail.rossmed.edu.
² Ross University School of Medicine, 2300 SW 145TH AVE, SUITE 200, Miramar, FL 33027, USA; California Hospital Medical Center, 1401 S GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA. Electronic address: austinmoser@mail.rossmed.edu.
³ Ross University School of Medicine, 2300 SW 145TH AVE, SUITE 200, Miramar, FL 33027, USA; California Hospital Medical Center, 1401 S GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA. Electronic address: joshuarosenberg@mail.rossmed.edu.
⁴ California Hospital Medical Center, 1401 S GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA. Electronic address: jian-hua.qiao@dignityhealth.org.
⁵ California Hospital Medical Center, 1401 S GRAND AVE, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA. Electronic address: drgary@aitmed.com.

Abstract

Introduction: Glomus tumors are rare and few cases are reported in the literature. They typically occur in females on the digits of the hands.

Case presentation: We report a case of a 30 year-old woman who presented with a mass that developed on the distal tip of her right thumb after traumatic injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted and mass resection was performed. Histopathology confirmed that the mass was a glomus tumor.

Clinical discussion: Clinical presentations of glomus tumors are typically non-specific, mainly consisting of a small mass with chronic pain, with a lengthy time to diagnosis and potentially improper management. MRI is the preferred diagnostic step, followed by curative surgical excision and pathological confirmation.

Conclusion: Glomus tumors can cause significant discomfort for patients, and clinicians should be aware of the rare diagnosis when treating painful masses on the extremities, as surgical excision is often curative.

Keywords: Glomus tumor; Mass excision; Trauma.