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Bone

Non-neoplastic or metabolic disease

Glomus coccygeum

Reviewers: Dariusz Borys, M.D. (see Reviewers page)
Revised: 8 June 2012, last major update June 2012
Copyright: (c) 2003-2012, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

General
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● Glomus bodies normally are present near coccyx at caudal end of spinal column
● May be misidentified as a tumor during rectal resection for rectal or uterine carcinoma, treatment of pressure sores or trauma (Am J Surg Pathol 1990;14:922)
● Not a pathologic finding, but an unusual “normal” finding

Gross description
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● Small nodule in soft tissue ventral to tip of coccyx

Micro description
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● 1-4 cm, sharply circumscribed glomus bodies composed of glomus cells without atypia or pleomorphism surrounding vascular channels with fibrous stroma containing nerve fibers (Arch Pathol Lab Med 1999;123:905)
● Cells are small with moderate cytoplasm and finely dispersed chromatin
● No infiltration or expansile growth

Micro images
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H&E and stains

Positive stains
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● Vimentin, smooth muscle actin, neuron specific enolase

Negative stains
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● S100, desmin, CD31, Factor VIII related antigen

Electron macroscopy
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● Small cells with bundles of actin filaments

Electron macroscopy images
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Smooth muscle cells with actin filaments

Differential diagnosis
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● Glomus tumor: branching vascular channels separated by stroma containing glomus cells in nests, aggregates; glomus cells are arranged around vessels; have small, regular, round, indistinct nucleoli; more infiltrative in children

End of Bone > Non-neoplastic or metabolic disease > Glomus coccygeum

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