Inflammatory arthritis, such as pseudogout or otherwise referred to as calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystal arthritis or calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease, is characterized by the deposition of crystal formation and deposition in large joints. CPPD is known to affect the elderly population and commonly manifests as inflammation of knees, hips, and shoulders. CPPD disease involving the spine has been infrequently encountered in practice and rarely described in the literature. Here, we describe a case of an 80-year-old female with no known history of inflammatory arthritis who presented with left lower extremity weakness and fall, initially thought to have discitis, later confirming CPPD of the spine through biopsy and ultimately resolution of symptoms with anti-inflammatory agents. Although consisting of different clinical presentations, two other case reports have described CPPD of the spine with similar radiographic findings, to this author’s knowledge. With the radiologic similarities, this unique case serves to raise awareness in the medical community and possibly place pseudogout of the spine on the differential list when such cases are encountered. As a result, patients can be initiated on benign anti-inflammatory agents, avoiding invasive testing and unnecessary antibiotic exposure.

Schwannomas are slow growing, encapsulated neoplasms that arise from the nerve sheath. A vast majority of these benign neoplasms occur in the head and neck region, most commonly involving the 8th cranial nerve. Schwannomas arising from the base of tongue are very rare and, thus, can easily escape the list of differential diagnosis for a posterior tongue mass. A systematic approach is recommended for diagnosis of a posterior tongue mass, with neoplastic, infectious, and congenital categories. We report a case of a 24-year-old female, who presented with pressure sensation in the throat. On imaging, she was found to have a mass in the right posterior tongue with follow-up biopsy results yielding a schwannoma. Characteristic imaging features for various possible etiologies of a posterior tongue mass are also discussed.

Congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is a rare cystic lung lesion formed as a result of anomalous development of airways in fetal life. Majority of the cases are recognized in neonates and infants with respiratory distress with very few presenting later in adult life. A 24-year-old male with history of three separate episodes of pneumonia in the last 6 months presented with left sided pleuritic chest pain for 4 days. He was tachycardic and tachypneic at presentation. White blood count was 14 × 109/L. Chest X-ray showed left lower lobe opacity. CT angiogram of thorax showed a well-defined area of low attenuation in the left lower lobe with dedicated pulmonary arterial and venous drainage and resolving infection, suggesting CPAM. He underwent left lower lobe lobectomy. Histopathology confirmed type 2 CPAM. CPAM is a rare congenital anatomic abnormality that can present with recurrent infections in adults. As a number of cases remain asymptomatic and symptomatic cases are often missed, prevalence of CPAM might be higher than currently reported.

Malignant Melanoma (MM) is among the most dangerous malignancies with some of the least known survival rates. Melanoma most commonly metastasizes to regional lymph nodes, the lungs, and brain. Metastatic disease of the gallbladder (GB) is exceptionally rare making it difficult to diagnose. The fact that typically patients do not present until they are symptomatic—only after widespread metastatic disease has already occurred—is further complicating the diagnosis of MM of the GB. For this reason, MM of the GB is rarely discovered in living patients. In fact, review of the literature showed only 40 instances in which metastatic disease of the GB was reported in living patients. We describe the presentation and management of a patient who had metastatic disease of the GB. However, our case is unique because his malignancy was discovered incidentally while he was asymptomatic. He was successfully treated with an open cholecystectomy. We have presented this case in order to make the necessity of meticulous investigation of potential metastasis in patients with a known history of cutaneous melanoma clear.

The characteristic immunoprofile for the diagnosis of synovial sarcoma, a neoplasm of unclear tissue origin, is expression of transducer-like enhancer of split 1 (TLE-1), CD99, partial expression of cytokeratin, and epithelial membrane antigen by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Diagnostic dilemma or misdiagnosis can occur due to overlap in IHC and morphology with carcinomas, and particularly poorly differentiated and metastatic tumors. The frequency of TLE-1 and CD99 expression in carcinomas by IHC has not been previously assessed. We evaluated TLE-1 and CD99 expression in various carcinomas and evaluated the expression of the SS18 (SYT) gene rearrangement (a characteristic biomarker for synovial sarcoma) in tumors with TLE-1 and/or CD99 expression. Immunostains of TLE-1 and CD99 were performed in 100 various carcinomas. Seven of the 98 cases (7%) of carcinomas showed TLE-1 expression, including 1 each of prostate adenocarcinoma (ADCA), esophageal ADCA, basal cell carcinoma, adrenocortical carcinoma, endometrial ADCA, ovarian serous carcinoma, and small cell carcinoma. Twenty-one of the 100 cases (21%) of carcinomas demonstrated CD99 expression, including 6 prostate ADCA, 3 esophageal ADCA, 5 squamous cell carcinomas, 2 hepatocellular carcinomas, 1 each for endometrial ADCA, renal cell carcinoma, urothelial cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. An esophageal ADCA was positive for both TLE-1 and CD99. None of the carcinomas with positive TLE-1 (n=7) or CD99 (n=21) by IHC showed SS18 gene rearrangement by fluorescent in situ hybridization. TLE-1 and CD99 expression were identified in 7% and 21% of carcinomas, respectively. This is a potential pitfall in the IHC interpretation for diagnosis of synovial sarcoma. SS18 gene rearrangement by fluorescent in situ hybridization is helpful for the diagnostically challenging cases, either for confirmation or exclusion of synovial sarcoma.