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Table 1 Case Reports of Tophaceous Gout in the Cervical Spine

From: Gout involved the cervical disc and adjacent vertebral endplates misdiagnosed infectious spondylodiscitis on imaging: case report and literature review

 

Age, gender

Known gout

Symptoms

Imaging findings

Lab test results

Histology

Outcome

Co-morbidities/ History

1. Duprez TP

59, M

+

Progressive impairment of walking

MRI: involvement of C3–6

UA: 9.9 mg/dl

At surgery: gouty tophi in the posterior longitudinal ligament

Improvement after surgery

N. D.

2. Yen HL

68, M

+

Neck pain and numbness and weakness of all four limbs

MRI: narrowing of the thecal sac at the C3–6 levels

UA: 12.1 mg/dl

Biopsy: presence of monosodium urate crystals

Improvement after surgery

Diabetes mellitus

3. Cabot J

76, F

N.D.

Neck pain and upper limb weakness

MRI: arthritis of the right C4–5 facet joint and the C7-T1 left facet joint

UA: 12.2 mg/dl

CRP: 147 mg/l

CT-guided aspiration: monosodium urate crystals

Improvement with colchicine therapy

Diabetes mellitus, diabetic nephropathy, hypertension

4. Dharmadhikari R

66, F

Weakness of all four limbs, urinary continence

MRI: involvement of C3–6 and cord compression

UA: 12.6 mg/dl

Biopsy: presence of gout crystals

Death caused by bronchopneumonia after surgery

Atrial fibrillation, hypertension, moderate cardiac dysfunction

5. Yamamoto M

58, F

+

Polyarticular disability

CT: involvement of C4–7

UA: 9.4 mg/dl CRP: 85.5 mg/l

Improvement with medication

Chronic arthritis

6. Wendling, D

54, M

+

Inflammatory neck pain and CBN

MRI: involvement of C5 and C6

UA: 11.5 mg/dl CRP: 5 mg/l

N.D.

Full recovery with colchicine therapy

Hypercholesterolemia

7. Wendling, D

72, M

+

Acute neck pain, knee arthritis

MRI: C5-C6 discitis

UA: 4.1 mg/dl CRP: 93 mg/l

N.D.

Full recovery with colchicine therapy

Hypertension

8. Nunes EA

59, M

N.D.

Occipital pain, cervicalgia

MRI: involvement of the odontoid process

UA: 8.6 mg/dl

Biopsy: inflammatory granuloma and monosodium urate crystals

Full recovery after surgery

Polyarthritis, hypertension

9. Ng W

66, M

N.D.

Neck pain, weakness of upper limbs

MRI: involvement of C4–6 and cord compression

UA: 7.6 mg/dl CRP: 7.7 mg/l

Biopsy: presence of urate crystals

Improvement after surgery and medication

Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic renal insufficiency

10. Cheng CW

23, M

+

Back pain, weakness of the lower limbs

MRI: epidural collection from C4 to T10

UA: 14.6 mg/dl CRP: 122.5 mg/l

Biopsy: inflammatory granuloma, urate crystals

Full recovery after surgery and medication

Chronic renal disease. Transverse myelitis

  1. UA: uric acid, CRP: C-reactive protein, N.D.: not described, CBN: cervicobrachial neuralgia