Abstract
We report a rare case of entirely intra-osseous chordoma occurring in the fourth cervical vertebral body. Chordoma is a rare tumor of the axial skeleton most commonly found in the sacrococcygeal region and the base of the skull. The typical findings are large bone destruction and expansive growth into the soft tissue. A 67-year-old female complained of neck pain extending into the right shoulder. Radiographs and bone scintigraphy were normal. MRI demonstrated the lesion clearly, and showed low-intensity in T1 weighted images and high-intensity in T2 weighted images within the vertebral body. No expansion into the soft tissue was revealed. CT showed no bone destruction. We performed vertebrectomy and anterior spinal fusion. histopathological findings were compatible with chordoma. Her pain disappeared after surgery. One year after surgery, there is no local recurrence, but lung metastasis was suggested by CT. Careful follow up is necessary.
