Periarticular calcification causing acute carpal tunnel syndrome: a case report

We report a case of acute carpal tunnel syndrome caused by periarticular calcification (hydroxyapatite deposition disease) around the wrist joint in a 64-year-old woman. She had acute severe pain, exacerbated by wrist movements and extension of the fingers. Her full blood count, urea, electrolytes, uric acid, calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, and thyroid function levels were all within normal ranges, and her serum was negative for rheumatoid factor. Computed tomography revealed lobulated calcification close to the volar capsule. She underwent an emergency surgical decompression of the carpal tunnel under general anaesthesia within 3 hours of presentation. The flexor tendon sheaths were excised, and ‘toothpaste-like’ chalky material (hydroxyapatite crystals) in the capsule was removed. The pain was relieved dramatically and her median nerve function recovered. She was symptom-free at the one-year follow-up.