Gouty tophus erodes nasal bone

Abstract

A 45-year-old Asian man with a 20-year history of gout is seen in clinic after lost to follow up for 10 years. He was previously treated with allopurinol but had been off therapy for many years. He describes several weeks of nasal bridge swelling with new episodes of snoring and apnea. On exam, he has a tender, erythematous mass over dorsum of nose with bulky tophi of multiple joints on hands, elbows, knees, and feet. Point-of-care ultrasound of his nasal bridge shows an area of inhomogeneous, hyperechoic aggregation with a hypoechoic rim consistent with gouty tophus [1]. Sinus CT without contrast shows a soft tissue partially calcified mass with bilateral nasal bone erosions. His uric acid was 12.6 mg/dl. This case is a rare presentation of gouty tophi causing nasal bone erosions. The patient tested negative for hereditary enzyme deficiencies. He did test positive for HLA-B*5801 putting him at risk for allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome. He was treated with febuxostat and eventually pegloticase infusions. With urate lowering therapy, his nasal mass size decreased, and apnea improved without need for surgical intervention (Fig. 1).

Clinical image: “Gouty tophus mimicking digital necrosis in a young man”

“…Rarely, it may be the first sign of gout without previous articular attacks 1 . Typical sites of the tophus are fingers, feet, and olecranon 2,3 . Macroscopically, gouty tophi appear as white or yellow nodules and can fistulate at the skin, expelling a chalky mass of uric acid crystals.…”