CASE REPORT   

Chirurgia 2017 February;30(1):21-4

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-9508.16.04587-3

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Juxta-articular myxoma arising from a lumbar facet joint

Javed KHADER ELIYAS ¹, Peter PYTEL ², Ben Z. ROITBERG ¹ ✉

¹ Section of Neurosurgery, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; ² Department of Pathology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA

Juxta-articular myxomas (JAM) are soft tissue tumors that are distinct but share some features with intramuscular myxoma. They are commonly seen around the knee and rarely at the shoulder or the hip. We report a case of a JAM arising from the lumbar facet joint. To our knowledge JAM involving the spine has not been previously reported. The patient underwent complete excision and has been doing well on follow-up. We review literature on JAM and analyze common diagnostic difficulties associated with this lesion, especially in unusual locations.

KEY WORDS: Myxoma - Zygapophyseal joint - Lumbosacral region