Extradigital Glomus Tumors around the Hand

Journal of the Korean Society for Surgery of the Hand 2008;13(4):260-265.
Published online December 1, 2008.

Byung Sung Kim, Jin Sam Kim, Suk Ha Jeon, Sang Ho Kwak, Hyun Sik Gong

손 주위에 발생한 수지외 사구 종양

김병성, 김진삼, 전숙하, 곽상호, 공현식

Abstract

Purpose
Glomus tumors are benign vascular hamartomas that are found most commonly in the fingers. The purpose of this paper is to report our experiences of rare extradigital glomus tumors that were found around the hand. Methods: A retrospective review of five cases of glomus tumor that occurred in the upper extremity other than the fingers was carried out. Clinical, radiographic, and pathologic data were collected by medical records. Results: Two patients had a glomus tumor in the hypothenar area and two in the distal forearm and one in the deep palmar space. No patient reported the classic symptom of cold sensitivity, and four patients did not demonstrate any skin discoloration. MRI could not detect a glomus tumor of the hypothenar area in one patient who had been delayed in diagnosis for 7 years, and direct surgical exploration revealed the tumor in this patient. Postoperatively all patients reported symptom relief and no recurrence was observed at the mean follow up 17.2 months. Conclusions: Extradigital glomus tumors around the hand do not show the typical clinical features of those occurring in the fingers. A high index of clinical suspicion and MRI with a special marking on the lesion may avoid delays in diagnosis and treatment.