A “Golf Ball” in the Elbow

Abstract Pain, warmth, erythema, and edema about the elbow joint require in-depth clinical and diagnostic evaluation. Septic arthritis/bursitis, malignancy, and fractures must be considered and ruled out. Olecranon bursitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the superficial bursa of the posterior elbow. It is often caused by trauma, compression, overuse, inflammatory arthritis, crystal deposition, and/or infection. It may be difficult to differentiate clinically between an inflamed bursa and an infection. Aspiration, fluid analysis, and serum studies may be necessary. In addition, two pathologies may coexist, such as gout and infection. In septic bursitis, the most common pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus. Gout is a crystal-induced arthropathy that may affect joints or bursae. The primary risk factor in gout is hyperuricemia, which is best diagnosed by the polarizing light microscopy finding of negatively birefringent crystals.