| Summary: | Swellings of the hand are commonly encountered in a general practice
setting and include a multitude of diagnoses. Although majority
of these lesions are benign, a specific diagnosis should be achieved
for an appropriate treatment. We present a case of a very unusual
rheumatoid nodule on the palmar aspect of the hand, but without
any rheumatological disease, which was initially misdiagnosed as a
tendon sheath tumor. The nodule was successfully treated by surgical
excision. The patient made an uneventful recovery, did not experience
progression to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and showed no
recurrence during the one-year follow-up. We suggest that when
dealing with patients with a hand mass, a rheumatoid nodule should
be considered as a differential diagnosis. Understanding the cutaneous
expressions of RA can enable early diagnosis, prompt treatment,
and lower morbidity and mortality for the affected persons.
|
|---|
