Silicone lymphadenopathy mimicking a lymphoma in a patient with a metatarsophalangeal joint prosthesis
- 1Department of Pathology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Grenoble 38043, France
- 2Department of Haematology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire
- 3Department of Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Region Annecienne, Annecy, France
- 4Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington DC, USA
- Dr Peoc'h, Service d'Anatomie Pathologique, CHU, BP 217, 38043 Grenoble cedex 09, France email: Michel.Peoch{at}ujf-grenoble.fr
- Accepted 7 December 1999
Abstract
With lymph node enlargement, the possibility of a malignant process such as metastatic carcinoma or lymphoma needs to be excluded. This report describes a 47 year old woman with inguinal lymph node enlargement initially suspicious for lymphoma. Fine needle aspiration findings favoured reactive hyperplasia, but a malignant process could not be excluded. The final histological diagnosis was a foreign body granulomatous inflammatory response as a result of regionally disseminated silicone particles from an over looked metatarsophalangeal joint prosthesis. Because of the large number of joint prostheses world wide, it should be kept in mind that migration of wear particles can create granulomatous inflammation and node enlargement.
