Soft tissue calcifications in the lower extremities of severely diabetic patients simulating venous stasis or collagen vascular disease.

The purpose of this work is to report soft tissue calcifications in severely diabetic patients that simulate venous stasis or scleroderma, without other stigmata of these diseases. Findings from lower extremity radiographs were reviewed on two patients with severe diabetes mellitus and abnormal soft tissue calcifications. Findings were correlated with clinical history, physical exam findings, and laboratory values.

Degeneration of the costovertebral articulation: a cause of pulmonary pseudolesion.

The objective was to report examples of degeneration of the costovertebral articulation producing a pulmonary pseudolesion. Three cases in which a nodular opacity seen on plain radiograph was determined to be secondary to degeneration of the costovertebral articulation were compiled, one of which was confirmed by CT. Pseudolesions produced by degenerative osteophytes of the vertebral spine and anomalous articulations between transverse processes are more commonly identified, but less well described is the pseudolesion produced by degeneration of the costovertebral articulation.