An unusual hand swelling: a report on cysticercosis of intrinsic muscles of the palm

Swelling of the hand includes a multitude of diagnosis. A large number of swellings of the hand are benign and asymptomatic. With the exception of few walk-in diagnoses, majority of hand swellings need careful clinicoradiological evaluation. The skin, subcutaneous fat, muscles, nerves, vessels, tendons, bones, and cartilages all have a propensity to give rise to swelling. A benign-looking lesion sometimes becomes malignant on histopathology and vice versa. This again emphasizes the need for proper clinicoradiological evaluation and, if required, needle aspiration cytology before excision. We report an interesting case of a suspected ganglion that was diagnosed as cysticercosis of the intrinsic muscles of the palm on HPE. Preoperative imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested us the possibility of this rare entity. The paucity of this lesion in the hand makes it more interesting to report in the literature.