Volume 18, Supplement 2, 196-200, DOI: 10.1007/s00586-008-0806-7

Treatment of osteoblastoma at C7: a multidisciplinary approach. A case report and review of the literature

Amer Samdani, Andrew Torre-Healy, Dean Chou, Anne Marie Cahill and Phillip B. Storm

From the issue entitled "Case Reports: Accepted between 9 June 2008 and 16 May 2009 - Electronic Only"

View Related Documents

Abstract

Osteoblastoma is a rare benign bone tumor that presents with back pain and occurs in the spine approximately 40% of the time. The time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis is typically several months because it is a rare entity and radiographic studies are often negative early in the course of the disease. These highly vascular and locally aggressive tumors require complete and precise resection. The patient presented is a 15-year-old boy with a 14-month history of right-sided neck and shoulder pain. Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a lesion in the posterior elements of C7 which extended through the pedicle and into the body. Preoperative angiography confirmed a hypervascular lesion which was successfully embolized. He subsequently underwent piecemeal tumor resection and instrumented fusion. Immediate postoperative imaging demonstrated complete resection. At 18 months follow up the patient has maintained resolution of preoperative symptoms and demonstrates evidence of solid fusion on CT. This multidisciplinary approach markedly decreased blood loss and improved visualization to help achieve complete surgical resection and resolution of clinical symptoms.

Keywords  Osteoblastoma - Embolization - Spinal fusion - Spinal tumor - CT - Bone scan

Fulltext Preview

Image of the first page of the fulltext document