Tumoral calcinosis in the lumbar spine secondary to systemic sclerosis: a rare cause of radiculopathy in an adult with advanced disease

Calcinosis is frequently associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and can be located at various sites, although it is most commonly seen in the hands. When it presents around the synovial joints and is associated with a mass-like appearance, it is classically called tumoral calcinosis. Few cases of tumoral calcinosis have been reported in the paraspinal region. They are usually located in the cervical segment and rarely in the lumbar region. Occasionally, they have been associated with nerve root compression and intraspinal extension. We report the case of a 47-year-old female with advanced SSc who presented to our hospital’s radiology department with chronic low back pain and right L5 radiculopathy due to tumoral calcinosis. An initial lumbar spine MRI showed multifocal, low signal, mass-like lesions involving the right paraspinal soft tissues. At the L5–S1 level, one lesion compressed the right L5 exiting nerve root. A CT scan of the lumbar spine performed later demonstrated the calcified nature of the lesions depicted by MRI and evidenced signs of pulmonary fibrosis at the base of the lungs. Further clinical work-up also showed that the patient had Raynaud's phenomenon, oesophageal dysmotility, sclerodactyly, dyspnoea, facial telangiectasias, generalized weakness and arthralgia. The diagnosis of a subtype of SSc, called limited cutaneous SSc, was made. Our case describes the CT and MRI findings of tumoral calcinosis in an unusual location secondary to limited cutaneous SSc. Knowledge of the imaging features of this uncommon manifestation of SSc could potentially increase its prospective diagnosis and hence improve patient management.