Cervical tumoral calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition disease 28 years after suboccipital craniotomy: case report.

OBJECTIVE To describe a rare case of tumoral cervical chondrocalcinosis that appeared 28 years after the patient had undergone suboccipital craniotomy. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 42-year-old woman suffered from cervicalgia associated with a firm mass at the occipitocervical region. Plain x-ray and computed tomographic and magnetic resonance images revealed a calcified lesion in a scar from a previous suboccipital craniotomy. INTERVENTION The patient underwent tumorectomy and histopathology, which revealed an exuberant tumoral chondrocalcinosis. Laboratory test results revealed no secondary cause for the chondrocalcinosis. CONCLUSION Identification of chondrocalcinosis beyond the cervical region is very rare. Localization of chondrocalcinosis in a scar from a previous suboccipital craniotomy has not been previously reported. Surgery appears to be the treatment of choice for this form of chondrocalcinosis.