Case report 620. Progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) with paraspinous and intraspinous calcifications.

Progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) is a connective tissue disorder of unknown etiology and pathogenesis characterized by fibrosis of the skin (scleroderma) and variable involvement of several organ systems including the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, heart, and kidneys. Calcinosis cutis is a frequent finding, commonly seen in the soft tissues of the fingertips and over the knees and elbows. Calcifications may also occur in areas of muscle necrosis and have been reported in articular synovium. This report describes a patient with PSS in the form of subcutaneous calcifications and scleroderma who was noted to have extensive paraspinous and intraspinal calcific deposits, causing severe narrowing of the spinal canal. The radiographs of 66 patients with PSS seen at Northwestern Memorial Hospital of soft tissue calcifications.