Extradigital glomus tumour of the thigh causing 8 years of undiagnosed debilitating pain

Abstract

A woman in her mid-50s was referred to a plastic surgeon with an 8-year history of undiagnosed, localised severe, reproducible pain of the right thigh. Treatment with oral and topical analgesics, corticosteroids, acupuncture and physiotherapy did not provide symptom relief. She was referred to multiple specialists over the preceding 8 years including chronic pain physicians, physiatry, orthopaedic surgery and plastic surgery. Investigations including sonographic and MRI eventually revealed a non-specific soft tissue abnormality in the area of tenderness, which was excised en bloc. Histopathology revealed an extradigital glomus tumour. The patient’s symptoms immediately and permanently resolved postexcision.Physicians seeing patients suffering from undiagnosed focal, reproducible pain should consider extradigital glomus tumours in their differential diagnosis. Workup for extradigital glomus tumour includes focused sonographic or MRI over the area of pain. Additionally, local injection of an anaesthetic agent can be used to assist with diagnosis.