CASE REPORTS   

Chirurgia 2013 April;26(2):155-62

Copyright © 2013 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Thoracic spine solitary osteochondroma causes spinal cord compression and myelopathy: report of two cases and literature review

Lv F., Ma X., Jiang J., Zhang F., Xia X., Wang L.

Department of Orthopedics, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

Myelopathy resulting from thoracic spine solitary osteochondroma is rare, and, to our knowledge, only 18 cases have been reported. Although uncommon, the occurrence of this serious condition warrants further investigation. Thus, the manuscript presented here highlights some key aspects of this disease and what is currently known about it. In one case, an 18-year-old boy suffered from solitary thoracic osteochondroma of the eighth thoracic vertebra (T8) and displayed symptoms of spinal cord compression. In another case, a 39-year-old man had similar symptoms with a tumor present in the tenth thoracic vertebra (T10). Interestingly, both tumors arose from the right facet joint and passed through the foramen before compression appeared. We chose both posterior and posteriolateral approaches for excision, and the tumors were completely removed. Spinal stability was efficiently maintained by solid fusion. Following the operations, both cases displayed immediate improvement, and no recurrence was detected during the 1-year follow-up period. Myelopathy may be caused by thoracic spine solitary osteochondroma, and the surgical plan for each individual should be specialized.