Subcutaneous Heterotopic Ossification Suspected as Skin Cancer

초록

Skin ulcerations on old scars such as post-burn scar contractures are often suspected to be skin cancer. A 68-year-old woman with a 2-year-old skin ulceration, 1 cm in diameter, on her right anterior thigh, was initially suspected to be have Marjolin’s ulcer. The patient had burnt her legs and trunk 50 years ago and had undergone hip joint arthroplasty 10 years previously. We suspected Marjolin’s ulcer and performed a biopsy for diagnosis in an outpatient clinic. However, the histopathology indicated chronic inflammation. As routine X-rays revealed linear calcifications of the subcutaneous layer of the anterior thigh, we removed the area of calcification, including the skin ulceration. The surgical wound healed without complication. While heterotopic ossification is usually found in muscle layers around large joints, or in muscle layers subjected to trauma or surgery, its cause is unclear. We report a rare case of skin ulceration caused by subcutaneous tissue heterotopic ossification, which was initially mistaken as skin cancer, and ultimately treated with surgical resection. © 2019 Korean Wound Management Society.

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