A case of nodular type of muscular sarcoidosis

Abstract

Background: Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disorder that may uncommonly be accompanied by a palpable muscle nodule. Muscular sarcoidosis may be classified as nodular, atropic myopathic, and acute myositis. The present case report demonstrates the cytological features of nodular-type muscular sarcoidosis which developed in a 35-year-old Japanese man without any symptoms. Muscular histopathology confirmed the cytological diagnosis.
Case: A 35-year-old Japanese man found a painless tumor in the lateral portion of his right thigh. Ultrasound examination showed a well-defined, homogeneous, and hypoechoic tumorous nodule in the lateral part of the right femoral muscle. Imprint smear obtained from surgically resected tumor revealed a large number of lymphocytes, a few clusters of epithelioid cells and multinuleated giant cells without atypism were interpreted. There was no necrotic debris in the background. The overall cytologic features suggested muscular sarcoidosis. The histologic findings showing noncaseating granulomas confirmed this diagnosis.
Conclusion: Cytological features in conjunction with characteristic findings of ultrasound examination enable us to correctly diagnose nodular-type muscle sarcoidosis in this patiemt.