Hand and Foot Glomus Tumors: Significance of MRI Diagnosis Followed by Histopathological Assessment

Introduction Glomus tumors are benign lesions with hamartomatous proliferation in the neuromyoarterial glomus bodies. Glomus tumors are small, reddish, painful blue nodules usually underneath the fingernail. Objectives This study is mainly focusing on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of glomus tumors on T1, T2, short inversion time inversion recovery (STIR), and post-gadolinium images. Further study of clinical and histopathological findings to support the radiological diagnosis. Material & methods The retrospective study included an elaborate study of MRI imaging findings of 24 cases of glomus tumors of the hand and leg at a tertiary care center in Udaipur. Patients with imaging findings confirmed on histopathology were included in the study. MRI study was conducted using a 3-T MR unit and a high-spatial-resolution module. Results A total of 24 cases of glomus tumors were diagnosed during the six years between January 2015 and November 2020. Out of 24 patients, 14 were female and 10 were male. The most common site of involvement was a hand, followed by a foot. All 24 cases showed isointense to hyperintense lesions on T2-weighted images with a conspicuous hyperintense lesion on STIR images. Further histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis showing nests of monomorphic tumor nuclei arranged in a perivascular pattern. Conclusion Glomus tumors can present with variable pain. A high index of suspicion is needed for diagnosis. Contrast MRI has a significant role in the diagnosis of glomus tumors. The clinical and histopathological picture further confirms the diagnosis. MRI imaging is further supportive to differentiate postoperative fibrosis from residual or recurrent tumors.