Characterization of a glomus tumor using 33-MHZ ultrasound and superb microvascular imaging

Abstract

We read with great interest the recently published article by Sechi et al,1 which describes the ultrasound features of subungual glomus tumors and squamous cell carcinomas. We would like to share our experience with the characterization of a glomus tumor using a 33-MHz probe and superb microvascular imaging (SMI).A 56-year-old man presented at our dermatology service with a 7-year history of pain in the nail area of the right second finger. The patient reported that the pain worsened, with paroxysmal behavior, when he touched cold surfaces, but that he was unable to precisely locate the point of pain. A radiologist with 15 years of experience performed a high-frequency ultrasound examination using the Aplio i800 device (Canon Medical Systems Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) with a 33-MHz transducer. Ultrasound showed a hypoechoic le-sion with well-defined margins that was causing bone remodeling in the adjacent distal phalanx (Figure 1). Power Doppler imaging (PDI) showed intense vascularization, and color and monochrome SMI en-abled the identification of a large tangle of vessels and the stalk sign