We report a case of a 35 years old man with melorheostosis involving right upper limb. This patient presented with a long history of arm-forearm and 2nd– 3rd-4th finger hypertrophy. The patient experienced dull discomfort and complained of elbow-wrist and finger stiffness.
The X-ray provided the diagnosis of melorheostosis in infancy, showing the flowing candle pattern covering humerus-ulna and fingers, and the structural observations here reported allow us to suggest the hypothesis that the compression of the painful free periosteal nerve terminations could be the cause of pain symptoms. In the first operation carried out at the age of 32 years, the contracted elbow capsule and calcifications were excised with a temporary good outcome. Following a severe recurrence both in relationship to pain and elbow stiffness a total elbow arthroplasty was carried out with a good outcome in a mid-term follow-up.
