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[Bursitis calcarea--an often overlooked and falsely diagnosed illness of the hand]
B Balogh1, H Piza-Katzer, D Kosak
1Abteilung für Plastische and Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Qualitätssicherung in der Plastischen and Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Wien.
Objective:
To compare surgical and conservative management in patients with acute calcific bursitis of the hand, a rare condition often misdiagnosed because of its unspecific symptoms.
Method:
Four patients with calcific bursitis at the metacarpophalangeal or distal interphalangeal joints or the pisiform are presented. Of these, 3 underwent surgery, while one was treated conservatively. Clinical and radiological symptoms and signs are described.
Results:
The 3 patients treated surgically returned to work on the 10th postoperative day, while the patient who refused surgery needed rehabilitation for 4 weeks.
Conclusion:
Surgery to remove the calcium deposits enables patients to resume work earlier than after conservative treatment which may take weeks.