Korean J Med.  2016 Jan;90(1):83-87. 10.3904/kjm.2016.90.1.83.

Compartment Syndrome followed by Inflammatory Myositis in a Patient with Urethral Cancer

• Yang JK
• Choi HY
• Kim MJ
• Kim KH
• Kim HS
• Jeen YM

• KMID: 2268898
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjm.2016.90.1.83

Abstract

Inflammatory myositis is a heterogeneous group of rare diseases characterized by inflammation of the skeletal muscle. The association between cancer and inflammatory myositis is well established, with most cancer-associated myopathies diagnosed within 2 years of initial diagnosis. However, despite this strong association, inflammatory myositis as a paraneoplastic syndrome of urethral cancer has not been reported in Korea. Furthermore, compartment syndrome in the context of inflammatory myositis is extremely rare. A 69 year-old woman presented with paresthesia and painful swelling of the right lower extremity 2 months after diagnosis with urethral cancer, which was treated by chemoradiotherapy. Painful numbness was particularly severe when extending the knee, leading to a preliminary diagnosis of myositis with compartment syndrome, which was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. After fascia resection, the patient was treated with high dose steroid and immunoglobulin therapy. Here, we report a case of compartment syndrome followed by inflammatory myositis in a patient with urethral cancer.

Keyword

Urethral cancer; Inflammatory myositis; Compartment syndrome

MeSH Terms

Chemoradiotherapy
Compartment Syndromes*
Diagnosis
Fascia
Female
Humans
Hypesthesia
Immunization, Passive
Inflammation
Knee
Korea
Lower Extremity
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Muscle, Skeletal
Muscular Diseases
Myositis*
Paraneoplastic Syndromes
Paresthesia
Rare Diseases
Urethral Neoplasms*