Uremic Tumoral Calcinosis of the Cervical Spine With Symptomatic Myelopathy: An Illustrative Case

Tumoral calcinosis is a rare pathology characterized by extraarticular soft tissue calcium deposition, commonly near large joints. Tumoral calcinosis may be idiopathic or associated with underlying disorders, such as end-stage renal disease (ESRD), sarcoidosis, and hyperparathyroidism. The cervical spine is a rare location for tumoral calcinosis, with only 11 cases of uremic tumoral calcinosis previously reported in the literature. We report a case of cervical tumoral calcinosis in a 46-year-old man with end-stage renal disease on peritoneal dialysis. He presented with unilateral extremity weakness and was found to have a C2-C6 soft tissue calcific mass. His hospital course was complicated by medical instability, and he eventually underwent mass resection, laminectomy, and posterior spinal fusion (PSF). After surveying the literature, we found that 36 cases of cervical tumoral calcinosis have previously been reported. Laminectomy and further medical management are reasonable treatment strategies to alleviate symptoms and prevent recurrence. Patients with ESRD represent a high-risk operative population, with increased intra- and postoperative complications. Although tumoral calcinosis rarely occurs in the spine, it is an important condition for spinal surgeons to be aware of, as tumoral calcinosis may be a more frequently encountered pathology due to the rising prevalence of chronic kidney disease and the aging population.