2000 Volume 49 Issue 4 Pages 1084-1087
Intraspinal osteochondroma is rare. Only 29 intraspinal osteochondromas were reported in the Bone Tumor Registry in Japan from 1972 to 1992 and this accounts for 0.4% of all osteochondromas.
We report a case of intraspinal vertebral osteochondroma causing thoracic myelopathy. An 8-year-old boy was noticed to fall down easily on gait by his mother. He showed spastic gait, and one week later he had difficultly in walking progressively. Neurological examination revealed hyperreflexia of both lower extremities, right ankle clonus, positive Babinski signs, and sensory change under the level of Th4. A myelogram demonstrated a right lateral extradural mass with complete spinal block at Th1. Computed tomogram (CT) demonstrated an osseous mass arising from the right facet of Th1/2. A right hemilaminectomy of Th1 was carried out, and the osseous mass including the right superior articular facet of Th2 was excised. No spinal fusion was performed. Histopathologically, it was determined to be a benign osteochondroma. Eight months after surgery, neither recurrence of the tumor nor instability of the spine was seen.
