Soft tissue calcifications in the lower extremities of severely diabetic patients simulating venous stasis or collagen vascular disease.

The purpose of this work is to report soft tissue calcifications in severely diabetic patients that simulate venous stasis or scleroderma, without other stigmata of these diseases. Findings from lower extremity radiographs were reviewed on two patients with severe diabetes mellitus and abnormal soft tissue calcifications. Findings were correlated with clinical history, physical exam findings, and laboratory values. Both patients in this study demonstrate radiographic findings of lower extremity soft tissue calcifications similar to those seen in venous stasis or scleroderma. Clinical history, physical examination, and laboratory values support severe diabetes mellitus, with no evidence of these other disease entities. Patients with severe diabetes mellitus may exhibit soft tissue calcifications of their lower extremities that may simulate the changes of venous stasis or scleroderma. This association has not been previously described.

Degeneration of the costovertebral articulation: a cause of pulmonary pseudolesion.

The objective was to report examples of degeneration of the costovertebral articulation producing a pulmonary pseudolesion. Three cases in which a nodular opacity seen on plain radiograph was determined to be secondary to degeneration of the costovertebral articulation were compiled, one of which was confirmed by CT. Pseudolesions produced by degenerative osteophytes of the vertebral spine and anomalous articulations between transverse processes are more commonly identified, but less well described is the pseudolesion produced by degeneration of the costovertebral articulation. Recognition of this etiology may prevent misconstruing the lesion as a significant finding.