Diagnosing Spinal Gout: A Rare Case of Back Pain and Fever

Figure 2

(a) Tophi involving the right elbow; (b) white, chalky deposit from aspirate; (c) monosodium urate monohydrate (MSU) crystals from a gouty tophus viewed under polarized light. Strong birefringence was noted along with the needle-shaped morphology classic for MSU.

(a)

(b)

(c)