Demographic and clinical characteristics of spinal calcinosis in systemic sclerosis: Possible association with peripheral angiopathy

Calcinosis in systemic sclerosis: An update on pathogenesis, related complications, and management: A heavy burden still waiting to be lifted off patients' hands

In SSc, dystrophic calcinosis is one of the major clinical manifestations, characterized by the deposition of insoluble calcific substances in tissues, predominantly in the chemical form of calcium hydroxyapatite. Furthermore, calcinosis might lead to compressive neuropathies and severe pain. Current evidence suggests that tissue ischemia and repeated trauma are implicated in the development of calcinosis; however, there are still too many unknown areas that need to be investigated. Detection of calcinosis is commonly performed using X-ray or ultrasound. Moreover, quantification of calcinosis with X-ray and dual-energy computed tomography might be useful for the assessment of disease burden and monitoring of the disease. Despite its prevalence and clinical outcomes, there are no approved disease-modifying treatments for calcinosis in SSc. Debulking or surgical intervention might be preferred for calcinosis complicated with infection, compressive symptoms, or relief of pain. Therefore, innovative investigations and tailored therapeutic approaches are urgently needed to lift the burden of calcinosis from the hands of SSc patients.

Systemic sclerosis-associated compressive cervical calcinosis: intersection of degenerative spine instability, lesional spinal cord compression, and traumatic spinal cord injury. Illustrative case

BACKGROUND

Tumoral calcinosis, mass-like calcium deposition into the soft tissues, is an uncommon manifestation of the systemic sclerosis subtype of scleroderma. When this process affects the spinal epidural space, it can cause canal narrowing and place the spinal cord at significant risk of injury.

OBSERVATIONS

Here a 62-year-old female with systemic sclerosis and no previous evidence of spinal cord compromise who developed acute spinal cord injury and quadriparesis after a mechanical fall is described. She was found to have a large dorsal epidural calcified mass compressing her cervical spinal cord. She underwent medical management for acute spinal cord compression as well as surgical management for acute spinal cord injury and degenerative spine disease. Her case illustrates a rare etiology of simultaneous degenerative spine instability and lesional spinal cord compression with acute spinal cord injury.

LESSONS

Tumor calcinosis leading to acute spinal cord injury in the setting of systemic sclerosis is an uncommon but critical entity to recognize in patients with scleroderma and may require the physician to use a combination of medical and surgical management strategies from each of these categories of spine pathology.

A narrative review of imaging in calcinosis associated with systemic sclerosis

Calcinosis is dystrophic calcification of the soft tissue which can lead to painful and debilitating disease. It is commonly seen in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Imaging can assist in diagnosis, quantification of disease, and better pathophysiologic understanding of calcinosis. Traditionally, X-rays have been the most frequently used imaging modality for diagnosis; however, advances in ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have led to greater ability to characterize these lesions and surrounding structures. This narrative review aims to describe the use of imaging for calcinosis in patients with SSc. Key Points • Imaging is useful in the diagnosis of calcinosis, assessment of disease severity, and disease monitoring. • X-ray is commonly used and offers high sensitivity and specificity, but both ultrasound and CT-scans are alternatives when greater anatomic detail is sought regarding surrounding structures. • Investigational imaging modalities include dual energy CT-scans, cinematic rendering CT-scans, and PET- CT scans. • Conventional MRI scans have less sensitivity and specificity for detection of calcinosis.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of earlobe crease in systemic sclerosis: Possible association with vascular dysfunction

Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) develop various vasculopathy-induced vascular disorders such as Raynaud's phenomenon, abnormal nail-fold capillaries, persistent digital ischemia, digital ulcers (DU), and sometimes develop renal crisis and pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), affecting prognosis. Earlobe crease (ELC), also known as Frank's sign, is a wrinkle extending from the tragus to the outer border of the earlobe and is generally recognized as the sign of cardiovascular events. However, no previous study analyzed the association between ELC and SSc. In this study, we examined the prevalence and clinical characteristics of ELC in SSc patients. We analyzed 145 Japanese SSc patients and found that the prevalence of ELC in SSc patients was 23.4% (43/145), similar to that previously reported in the general population without SSc. Using univariate analysis, we found that SSc patients with ELC were characterized by old age, high incidence of DU, ILD and PAH, and high complication of coronary artery diseases (CAD) compared with SSc patients without ELC. In multivariate analysis, ELC was significantly associated with old age and incidence of DU. PAH tended to correlate with ELC without statistical significance. These results suggest that ELC may be associated with vascular disorders in SSc patients. This is the first report concerning the prevalence and clinical characteristics of ELC in patients with SSc. ELC is very easy to detect in clinical practice and helps physicians to identify SSc patients at risk of developing vascular disorders such as DU and PAH.