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.