Sausage (Cocktail Sausage) Digit

Examination of the peripheral soft tissues often yields valuable clues to the radiologist who does not forget to inspect this part of the radiographic image. The appearance of a sausage digit (cocktail sausage digit) (Figure 1) is classically associated with the single-ray pattern of involvement seen in some patients with psoriatic arthritis. It may be the initial manifestation of the disease. This term is attributed, by Verna Wright and John Michael H. Moll ¹ , to Charles Bourdillon ² who wrote his doctoral thesis on Psoriasis et arthropathies in 1888 with detailed accounts of 36 patients including descriptions of their swollen digits. Deborah Forrester, in a more recent article from UCLA-USC Medical Center, listed the differential diagnosis as trauma, cellulitis, osteomyelitis, the rheumatoid variant disorders and gout ³ . Figure 1 Radiograph showing diffuse soft tissue swelling around finger of patient with psoriatic arthritis. Case courtesy of Dr C. Resnik, University of Maryland https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781003076568/34c29fd5-5662-4e8f-b58c-badd7fa5d724/content/fig74_1_B.jpg"/>