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Painful heterotopic pacinian corpuscle in the hand: a report of three cases

Hiroki Irie1, Teiji Kato, Toshitake Yakushiji

  • 1Department of Orthopaedic and Neuro-Musculoskeletal Surgery, Faculty of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan. hiroki-irie@fc.kuh.kumamoto-u.ac.jp

Hand Surgery : an International Journal Devoted to Hand and Upper Limb Surgery and Related Research : Journal of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand
|February 25, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Abnormal Pacinian corpuscles can cause severe finger pain, a rare condition. Consider this diagnosis for unexplained finger pain alongside other soft-tissue tumors.

Area of Science:

  • Neuropathology
  • Hand Surgery
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Pacinian corpuscles are mechanoreceptors normally found in the skin.
  • Abnormalities or heterotopic locations of Pacinian corpuscles can lead to significant neuropathic pain.
  • Differential diagnosis of finger pain often includes common soft-tissue tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight heterotopic Pacinian corpuscles as a cause of severe finger pain.
  • To emphasize the importance of considering this rare condition in clinical practice.
  • To provide histopathological context for diagnosing abnormal Pacinian corpuscles.

Main Methods:

  • Case series review of three patients.
  • Histopathological examination of excised tissue.
  • Clinical correlation of symptoms and findings.

Main Results:

  • Three patients were diagnosed with heterotopic Pacinian corpuscles causing severe finger pain.
  • Histopathological findings confirmed the presence of abnormal Pacinian corpuscles.
  • This condition was identified as a cause of unexplained severe finger pain.

Conclusions:

  • Heterotopic Pacinian corpuscles are a rare but important cause of severe finger pain.
  • Clinicians should include abnormal Pacinian corpuscles in the differential diagnosis of unexplained finger pain.
  • Histopathological analysis is crucial for definitive diagnosis.

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